Kevin Niparko
22 statements across 1 episodes · 6 bullish · 0 bearish · 1 people on the record · first statement Sep 29, 2023 by Kevin Niparko · across every show →
On the record as a speaker too: Kevin Niparko's record, appearances and statements → this page counts the times other people say the name.
Everything said about Kevin Niparko, oldest first
Sep 29, 2023 positive
Niparko: Recorded asynchronous product demos are just as good as live demos
“We do have this concept of asynchronous demos as well. So to the extent that people are working in different time zones, aren't able to make demos can submit a recorded version of their demo. Which, you know, is just as good.”
Sep 29, 2023 positive
Niparko: Unblock slow product teams by celebrating small wins
“But you really need to unlock this state, you really need to think about how can you get them into shipping mode? Have them ship something really small and then celebrate the heck out of it to really encourage that feedback loop to get into the mode of deliver…”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: High-stakes demos waste product teams' time on polish over core building
“The first is that they become too high stakes, right? And so people feel like they need to put a lot of polish and prep into their demo. And so they spend a good chunk of their week on overhead and polish as opposed to the actual core components of the demo.”
Sep 29, 2023 positive
Niparko: Sharper decisions come from understanding mental models, not debating opinions
“In the workplace, people are often talking about and debating opinions, right? So, like, Harry believes option A is the best option, I believe option B, and we're going to debate option A versus option B to figure out which one is superior, but I actually thin…”
Sep 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023 positive
Niparko: Writing is a forcing function to test product idea viability
“Ideas have this illusory nature, which is, on the surface, they seem really good, but when you force yourself to sit down and write the idea down and really unpack it, either they don't seem as good as they do on the surface, or By comparison to all of the oth…”
Sep 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023 positive
Sep 29, 2023 neutral
Niparko: Product team performance maps to four states on speed vs impact grid
“If you just imagine this grid where you have shipping fast and slow and you have impact high and low as the other you can really think about mapping where your product teams are relative to those two dimensions. And so over time, there are really only four sta…”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Keep top-performing product teams intact and out of leadership's way
“Teams in this state are generally going to be really high context. They're going to be high trust across engineering, design, and product. They're very high talent density, right? So you have a lot of great people that are working there, and they're empowered …”
Sep 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Allocate 10 to 15 minutes in product reviews for silent pre-reading
“Pre-reads generally sent out 24 hours in advance. If, you know, you're working up to the last minute of a product review, which happens from time to time, you'll create 10 to 15 minutes where everybody can sit down, read it, and think and comment in the doc.”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Product teams fail by jumping to solutions and ignoring customer experience
“I would say there are two general mistakes that teams will make. The first is going to be jumping too quickly to solutions, right? So they have a great idea. And they're sort of working backwards from the solution. That's one, and then the other is tying back …”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Founders should prioritize partnerships over building non-core product features
“I think I just advise founders and product people don't fall into the build trap, really put a premium on partnerships and go explore those, especially when you're thinking about areas that aren't necessarily your core competency.”
Sep 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Hiring committees should never override the CEO or hiring manager
“Allowing a committee to dictate a hiring decision is never good. At the end of the day, the hiring manager, the CEO in this case, needs to be empowered to make the decision, even if there isn't consensus among the hiring team.”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Observing smart customers early provides vital signal on product success
“I think the key learning is go listen to your smartest customers, sit next to them, really learn what they are doing with your product, because that can really inform and give you early signal as to what's going to be big.”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Founders must hire product managers for specific skill archetypes
“Some product people really spike in strategy, some really excel in culture building and team building and people management, others specialize in go to market partnership or product execution. Right. And so you really need to be crystal clear on what you are l…”
Sep 29, 2023
Niparko: Product memes matter more than roadmaps because people skip PRDs
“So, you know, with all the talk about how important it is to write as a product leader, I think at the end of the day, most people are never going to read your PRD. Most people are not actually going to review your, you know, 20 page roadmap, no matter how wel…”
Sep 29, 2023