S5:E4 - Finding Patterns, Spotting Solutions with Magda Panfil

What does it take to do Product Ops without burning out? Hosts Gerisha and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto talk with Magda, who recently moved into a dedicated Product Ops role at Wise, about the people, patterns and habits behind the work.Magda explains why the work came long before the title. She spent her career in digital agencies and at Just Eat, helping teams turn good intentions into something that works. She shares what she brought from her life into the role: spotting patterns, and her dad's lesson that "every problem has a solution."In this episode:Magda reacts live to her Product Ops archetype results. Her primary result was Systems Architect, and Resilient Driver was a close second.A recent hiring story shows why an archetype is a starting point for a conversation, not the final answer.She explains why much of the pressure on Product Ops comes from culture and sponsorship, not the role itself, and how to avoid becoming the place for everything that has no home.Why overextension often looks like trying to please everyone.How she recharges: slowing down, time with her family, and early-morning training.How to balance slowing down with the pressure to speed up in the age of AI.Her advice for newcomers: "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Build credibility one problem at a time.This episode is part of Season 5, "100% Human," where we explore identity, self-knowledge, and sustainable practice for product operations practitioners.Connect with Magda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdapanfil/ Take the Product Operations Archetype Assessment: productopspod.com Hosted by Gerisha Nadaraju and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto.

Shabnam Osman is back on the Product Ops Podcast. Hosts Gerisha Nadaraju and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto catch up with her a year after her season four episode. She has moved from running product operations to leading product as a director, and she's now trying out the ideas she once had to influence from the side.Shabnam explains why her career has never followed a deliberate plan. She has worked around product for 20 years, and she fell into Product Ops when the business needed someone to figure out how it worked. She then talks about the people skills that turned out to matter more than her product background.In this episode:Shabnam reacts live to her Product Ops archetype results. Her primary result was Change Agent, with Resilient Driver a close second.Why she frames every strategy question as a problem to solve.Her advice for anyone new to the role: don't try to find the most important problem first. Pick a thing and do it.How she keeps human judgment first in an AI-enabled workplace. She starts by asking, "What do you think?"Why more access to data hasn't meant more engagement, and what the quieter Slack emojis told her.The hidden load of the role: invisible work, influence without authority, and having to put your name on something you don't believe in.A story about a feature she couldn't stand behind, the time off it took, and the hard rule she took from it.The boundaries that keep her from letting work take over, and how her entrepreneurial family shaped how she works.What she's still figuring out: how to scale what she does as a leader.This season's theme is "100% Human": the people behind the role, not just the frameworks and templates.Guest: Shabnam OsmanHosts: Gerisha Nadaraju  and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto

Syed Ahsan has spent his career defining where to go, how to get there, and then actually getting there. From strategy consulting to HelloFresh, remittance, and now crypto payments, he has built a reputation as the person who brings order to ambiguity. In this episode, he explains where that comes from: a childhood spent moving between Asia, New Zealand, and Australia, and a lifelong habit of finding anchors when everything around him changes.Syed took the Product Operations Archetype Assessment and landed on Change Agent, with Systems Architect a very close second. We talk about why those two fit together: reading the room and spotting patterns on one side, building routines and systems that make other people's lives easier on the other. He also shares how he preps for every meeting, why his goal is to make himself redundant, and what happens when a role asks for emotional bandwidth all day long.Syed is candid about the cost. Eight to ten back-to-back meetings with seven different stakeholder groups can leave a nine-to-five feeling like a nine-to-eight. He explains how he spots his own burnout signals, why he shifted from going "100-0" to "80/20," and how giving stakeholders ownership helped him and them.In this conversation:How a childhood of constant change built both adaptability and a love of routineWhy Change Agent and Systems Architect work well togetherMeeting prep: setting objectives, using a live minutes doc, and closing the loop afterwardThe emotional intensity of product ops, and why the hours are harder than they look"Delegation through empowerment" as a burnout antidoteRecharging through curiosity, travel, and knowing when to close the bookHis one piece of advice for anyone starting out: don't take it personallyThis episode is part of Season 5, "100% Human," where we explore identity, self-knowledge, and sustainable practice for product operations practitioners.Connect with SyedTake the Product Operations Archetype AssessmentHosted by Gerisha Nadaraju and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto.

This episode kicks off Season 5, "100% Human," where we explore identity, self-knowledge, and sustainable practice for product operations practitioners. Marielle Velander returns to Product Ops Podcast, five years after she joined us in Season One. Since then she has grown from a product operations team of one to a senior product ops role at Babbel, and now product portfolio management at N26, with a year-long sabbatical in between. Through all of it, she has approached organizations the way an anthropologist approaches a field site.In this episode, Marielle shares how her anthropology and research background shapes the way she works. She treats every coffee chat, meeting, and document as data. She practices "one foot in, one foot out," stepping back to see a problem the way an investor, an engineer, or a marketer would. She also explains how she translates the same strategy into different languages for different stakeholders.Marielle is also our first-ever tie on the Product Operations Archetype Assessment, landing on both Change Agent and Resilient Driver. We talk about what resonated, what drains her, and how she protects her energy in a role with no clear boundaries.In this conversation:Why product ops can feel like a longitudinal study of how humans make decisions at workUsing metaphors and shared language to align marketing, engineering, and leadershipProductive procrastination, and balancing deep problems with satisfying cleanup tasksWhat a year of travel taught her about work, burnout, and choosing where to workThe conversation she says product ops still isn't having: career paths beyond senior rolesConnect with Marielle:Take the Product Operations Archetype Assessment: Marielle Velander is a Product Portfolio Manager at N26.Hosted by Gerisha Nadaraju and Dr. Kevin Sakamoto.

In the season 4 finale of the Product Ops Podcast, we welcome John Cutler, a renowned thought leader in the field of product operations. John shares his unique journey from product management and UX research to his deep engagement with product ops, providing a well-rounded perspective on the function. He highlights the importance of crafting and repeating a compelling narrative, the challenges of managing context switching, and the reality of operating within shifting organizational dynamics. Throughout the discussion, John offers practical advice on aligning strategies, leveraging qualitative insights, and maintaining optimism amid the chaos of startup life. This episode is a must-watch for individual contributors and leaders in product operations, as well as engineers, product managers, and stakeholders seeking to understand the strategic value of product ops.

In this episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we welcome back Christine Itwaru to discuss the invaluable role of Product Operations in today's tech landscape. Christine shares her journey from Director of Product at Pendo to VP of Product at User Flow and Beamer, offering insights into the evolution of Product Ops. We explore how Product Ops drive value by organizing customer feedback, aligning cross-functional teams, and navigating the rapid advancements in AI and tooling. Christine emphasizes the importance of maintaining the human element in operations and offers practical advice on balancing technology with human collaboration. This episode is a must-listen for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders looking to understand the strategic importance of product ops in driving organizational success.You can read more from Christine through her publication, The Product Heart .And you can review the learnings from this episode as a written article with actionable advice and insights via our substack here!

In this episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we are thrilled to host Jenny Wanger, product operations consulting expert and coach. Jenny shares her journey into product ops, discussing how she transitioned from product leadership to focus on scalable systems and operations. We delve into the evolution of product ops, addressing common challenges such as the impact of layoffs and the essential need for companies to establish a cohesive product ops strategy. Jenny emphasizes the importance of making value visible and offers actionable insights into creating effective product ops strategies. She shares anecdotes and practical advice on overcoming behavior change and aligning product ops with broader organizational goals. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge on driving organizational success through strategic product operations.

In this insightful episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we're joined by Jessica Soroky, former Senior Director of Product Operations at Pendo, who shares her compelling journey from agile beginnings and chief of staff roles to leading a transformative product operations function. Find out how Jessica's team drove value through effective communication, leveraging data analytics, and innovating new operational cadences. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders, this episode reveals critical strategies for making product ops an indispensable part of any organization.

In this exciting 6th episode of S4 of Product Ops Podcast, we are joined by Rebekah Carere, a seasoned product operations leader with an impressive journey. Rebekah shares her unique experiences and insights into the burgeoning field of product operations, detailing how she evolved from a digital learning background to leading impactful product ops initiatives. We dive deep into the role of product operations, its permanence in an organization, and strategies to measure its value. Rebekah also provides actionable advice for setting up effective cross-functional working groups and underscores the importance of curiosity and data in driving meaningful outcomes. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders alike, this episode offers a detailed look at how product ops can revolutionize organizational efficiency and impact.Remember to ⁠subscribe to our ⁠⁠substack⁠⁠⁠ for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠⁠#productops⁠⁠⁠ ⁠#productoperations⁠⁠⁠

When you're the only product operations person supporting 10-15 product teams, how do you create meaningful organizational change? Chris Compston discovered the answer isn't working harder, it's working smarter through operational working groups.In this episode, Chris shares his experience leading product operations at Bumble and reveals how he enabled organizational transformation by empowering others to drive change.Remember to ⁠subscribe to our ⁠substack⁠⁠ for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! You can also find links to all of Chris's contributions to the product ops community via his website.⁠⁠#productops⁠⁠⁠ ⁠#productoperations⁠⁠⁠