Coaching Agency | Symptoms and Solutions

Welcome to SVPG's podcast! This podcast tackles challenges that aren’t discussed enough in the product world: the behavioral, cultural, and mindset issues holding most teams back. We unpack these topics through authentic conversations between SVPG partners based on real-world experience leading and coaching product companies.

Our first episode is focused on coaching agency. Agency comes down to how strongly someone believes that they can change their circumstances. When people don’t have a sense of agency at work, they often feel helpless, unempowered, and believe “things will never change”. Agency is a difficult development area because it requires high self-awareness, and intersects with many other deep topics, such as the motivation behind people’s work and the drivers of people’s fears. Agency is an important development area for anyone in product because it is a key ingredient for unlocking a team’s full potential and doing meaningful work.

In today’s discussion, we unpack:
● What agency means
● The symptoms of a lack of agency
● Why agency is a difficult development area
● The link between agency and “empowered teams”
● Real-life examples of coaching agency
● Why and how to “invoke care”
● How to foster agency as a leader, and as an IC
● Concrete tips for practicing stronger agency

Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Episode intro  
[00:00:43] Podcast intro
[00:05:38] A big caveat: we are not therapists
[00:10:37] Today's topic: agency
[00:10:58] What does agency mean?
[00:12:20] Symptoms of a lack of agency
[00:14:59] Feature teams vs empowered teams
[00:19:51] Feeling unworthy of agency
[00:20:55] How low agency can make people feel safe
[00:23:23] Product Leadership Theatre
[00:25:39] How to coach and develop an agency mindset
[00:25:52] Real-life example of coaching agency
[00:28:32] Why and how to "invoke care”
[00:34:33] Misconceptions about the role of product management
[00:37:06] How to foster agency as a leader
[00:39:30] How to develop agency as an IC
[00:42:23] How to turn these insights into action
[00:46:41] Where to find SVPG resources
[00:47:00] About SVPG’s new book: Transformed
[00:48:26] Disclaimer 


References:
● Amazon’s PRFAQ: https://www.svpg.com/example-prfaq/
● Einstein quote about problem solving: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/60780-if-i-had-an-hour-to-solve-a-problem-i-d
● Google’s research on effective teams: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-emea/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/five-dynamics-effective-team/
● President Kennedy’s challenge for NASA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmN1wO_24Ao&ab_channel=NASAVideo
● Steve Jobs, The Lost Interview: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/steve-jobs-the-lost-interview/umc.cmc.493j4pff9l0e7b6lbca47x2j8

Where to find SVPG:
● SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/
● Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/
● Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/
● Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/
● Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/

Where to find Christian Idiodi:
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/

Where to find Marty Cagan:
● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/

Disclaimer:
While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals.  See: https://findahelpline.com/