Instant Pot had $300M+ revenue, passionate users, and $100M cash on hand. So why did they file for bankruptcy? The answer lies in the pattern of how private equity systematically destroys beloved products through financial engineering! In this podcast, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel examine the acquisition of Instant Brands and discuss how leveraged buyouts, special dividends, and debt loading likely turned a kitchen innovation success story into a c...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 219
Today we're examining Palantir's "Forward Deployed Software Engineers" - and separating fact from the hype! Everything old is new again! Move over companies that have been doing this for decades such as SAP, IBM, and countless consulting firms! https://blog.palantir.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-palantir-forward-deployed-software-engineer-45ef2de257b1 Listen as we break down Palantir's 2020 blog post about their Forward Deployed Software Engineers (FDSEs) and discover what these engineers actually ...
Jul 02, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 218
Today, we're delivering a not-your-typical-leadership-book review: "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin! Ed Martin joins hosts Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel for a chapter-by-chapter review of how military leadership principles directly translate to product management, agile coaching, and team development. The core message? True leadership isn't about barking orders - it's about taking complete ownership, empowering others, and leading...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 217
The Scrum community is buzzing about a new 55-page expansion to the Scrum Guide. Is this the depth practitioners have been asking for, or is it turning the lightweight framework into bloatware? In this episode, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando critically examine the "DLC" that claims the original guide was "deliberately oversimplified." We explore new concepts like outcome vs output definitions of done, the "supporters" role, and the inclusion of compl...
Jun 18, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 216
Jensen Huang has 60 direct reports and does no 1:1s, so neither should you - right?!? Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel examine NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's claim that he champions "radical transparency" and his policy of no one-on-ones. Join us as we explore what this means for the rest and listen or watch as we agree that one-on-ones should be employee-driven, focused on growth over status updates, and designed to build the trust that actually gets work ...
Jun 04, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 215
We're talking about either the terrifying or totally mundane new world of "vibe coding" - using AI to generate code without deep technical expertise. Joining Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel for this podcast, we're happy to welcome back to the podcast Lenar Mukhamadiev, CEO of iDelsoft (https://idelsoft.com)! Listen as we discuss how this trend is changing product development, software engineering careers, and business innovation. Stick around while we...
May 28, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 214
Do you want to hear a story about stifling growth and creativity through the lens of one developer's personal story? You're in luck! Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as they watch and react to Theo's YouTube video: "Being a good engineer kinda sucks," April 28, 2025. It's a tale about the tension between excelling at your craft versus navigating organizational politics and dysfunction. That's right, today, we're talking about themes of career deve...
May 21, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 213
Who coaches PMs if Directors or CPOs don't understand how features get built? ...or don't understand how to build a strategy? Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we analyze Ravi Mehta's PM competency framework and debate which skills actually matter at each level of product management! #ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategy REFERENCES "How to Become a Peak Product Manager" by Ravi Mehta: https://www.ravi-mehta.com/product-manager-skills/ ...
May 14, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 212
Listen or watch as Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando debate whether communication is the primary function of product managers. We explore how and if PMs can balance effective communication across stakeholder groups while still delivering results, in addition to other topics, such as: What percentage really is communication The power-interest matrix for stakeholder management Balancing narrative leadership vs technical excellence Creating vision without ...
May 07, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Ever been in a meeting where an executive decrees: "Engineering needs to go faster!" without any nuance or understanding of the underlying issues? What a coincidence - so have we!!! Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel discuss this common yet problematic demand. Join us as we unmask deeper organizational issues, explore how to respond to this request, and discuss the potential causes, constraints, and solutions. Whether you're in enginee...
Apr 30, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 210
Discover why the ability to ask for what you need is a critical skill that separates high performers from average ones. Join Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando as we explore the "how and why" of the skill that is: making more explicit requests for support! We dive into the dangers of hustle culture, the limitations of traditional hierarchies, and practical ways to improve your communication skills. Listen or watch to better understand how to navigate tea...
Apr 23, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 209
We're listening to each and every painful, cringeworthy word from Jamie Dimon's recent rant about remote work. Join Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando as they explore the tension between command-and-control management and outcome-based leadership. Stick around as they argue (against and on behalf of) CEO of JP Morgan Chase, Dimon's frustration with work-from-home culture and clear issues with his leadership, trust, and organizational effectiveness, regar...
Apr 16, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 208
Should innovation be outsourced to specialized teams, or integrated into your existing product teams? That's what Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando are debating today! Listen as we debate the pros and cons of separating innovation from implementation, exploring why "if you build it, you own it" should extend to innovation as well. Join us to learn about the pitfalls of innovation theater, the challenges of knowledge transfer, and how to truly empower yo...
Apr 02, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 207
Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel are listening and reacting to Melissa Perri on Lenny's Podcast as she makes claims about product management, agile, frameworks, and why most companies struggle with product management. We discuss many of her claims, including: Product Management has nothing to do with the Manifesto for Agile Software Development Scrum is only for Large Organizations Large Organizations Lack Infrastructure to support Product Management R...
Mar 26, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 206
We're exploring the false dichotomy between being good at your job and being seen as valuable by leadership! The framework for this conversation was an eye-opening yet brutally honest post about the tactics one product manager claims to use to advance his career without delivering real impact. We ask, "is success about making an impact or just being seen as valuable," while we explore the tactics described in the article: Focusing on vision while ignoring execution Using positivity to mask probl...
Mar 19, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 205
Is it better to hire someone with deep domain expertise and teach them product management, or to bring in an experienced PM who can learn the domain? Today, we're debating the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches across critical areas like business impact, product discovery, stakeholder management, and leadership!Listen (or watch) as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel discuss why domain experts excel at identifying immediate pain points but may st...
Mar 12, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 204
We're exploring the growing anti-Agile sentiment among developers as the agile-industrial complex has stitched together a grotesque imitation of what was once a vibrant movement. Like Frankenstein's creation, what began with noble intentions has transformed into something both villagers and developers flee from in horror! Before lighting our torches and brandishing our pitchforks, we examine the common complaints: lightning-rod meetings that drain life force, the monster of micromanagement weari...
Mar 05, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 203
We're taking a critical look at the Double Diamond model, aka. Dual Track Development, aka. Dual Track Agile. This widely-adopted model might be leading leadership and/or teams astray, so we're taking some time to explore its limitations in real-world applications. From the misconception of linear progression to the crucial importance of keeping customers involved throughout the process, Brian tries to convince Om that the model needs significant rethinking! Other things we discuss are: Why the ...
Feb 26, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 202
If communicating with stakeholders on a regular basis is part of your work and you're looking to improve your stakeholder management skills, this is your podcast. We promise you'll learn practical strategies for effective stakeholder management that you can start using TODAY - or your money back!!! Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we use the Power-Interest grid to layout an actionable framework for communicating with different stakeholder group...
Feb 05, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 201
In this podcast, two tech industry veterans reflect and share candid insights from 20 years of navigating the ever-changing world of tech and software development. Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as they talk strategies for recession-proofing your career, the critical importance of talking to customers, and the role leadership plays in driving organizational success. Come for the positive experiences, but stay for the cringe-worthy tangents - we ...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 200
In this episode, we go back to the future with the groundbreaking book by Dr. W. Edwards Deming - "The New Economics." Join us as we explore this goldmine of wisdom on leading organizations that are built to last. This podcast is a no-holds-barred breakdown of Deming's System of Profound Knowledge and its four key elements: Appreciation for a system Knowledge about variation Theory of knowledge Psychology Watch or listen to learn why pursuing short-term wins often leads to long-term ruin, and ho...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 53 min•Season 1Ep. 199
In this episode, we dive into "Crucial Conversations" by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler, exploring essential techniques for handling high-stakes discussions in both professional and personal settings. Whether you're a team leader, product manager, or looking to improve your interpersonal skills, this episode offers practical strategies to transform challenging conversations into opportunities for growth and collaboration. Listen as we discuss: Creating safety in dialogue Managing emot...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 198
Are fractional executives the future of leadership in tech startups? In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel unpack the growing trend of fractional CXOs. We explore the benefits and trade-offs of hiring part-time executives, including: Access to high-level expertise and cross-industry experience Considerations for small and medium-sized businesses Challenges in building trust and managing multiple teams Red flags to watch out...
Jan 08, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 197
As a Product Manager, are you constantly asked "When will it be done?" before even knowing what "it" is? Learn why this simple question is so problematic and how to handle it effectively. Learn strategies for educating stakeholders, collaborating on roadmaps, and focusing on delivering real value instead of arbitrary deadlines. Don't let deadline pressure derail your product strategy. Listen now for practical tips on having better conversations about timelines and priorities. #ProductManagement ...
Jan 01, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 196
In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, we dive deep into the corrosive nature of excessive planning in software development organizations. Discover how the tyranny of plans can stifle innovation, hinder adaptability, and lead to project failures. We explore the cognitive dissonance that often plagues leadership when plans inevitably clash with market realities. Join us as we discuss strategies for dealing with uncertainty, the pitfalls of Taylorism in modern work culture, and the importan...
Dec 26, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 195
What Does an Enterprise Business Agility Coach ACTUALLY Do? Discover the crucial role of Enterprise Business Agility Coaches in transforming organizations! In this episode, we dive deep into: How an Enterprise Coach differs from other Coaches Working with C-suite executives to drive organizational change Measuring culture and transformation success Navigating resistance from middle management Improving time-to-market and financial outcomes💡 Perfect for: Product leaders, transformation coaches, ...
Dec 18, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 194
Discover the four critical phases of product lifecycle management and learn how to navigate each stage successfully. In this comprehensive guide, we break down: MVP : Building your initial product and finding market fit Growth : Scaling teams and features effectively Maturity : Optimizing operations and maintaining market position Sunset : Managing decline and transitioning strategies For each category, we explore: Team composition and changes Evolution of Product strategies What gets handled (a...
Dec 11, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 193
All Aboard the AI Hype Train!!! Product management is DEAD! It died facing a high-noon showdown with AI, and the rumors of it's demise are spreading faster than a locomotive through the boom-town of Silicon Valley. In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel try a daring uncoupling of the the AI hype train as they examine Claire Vo's take on whether product management is about to derail. Listen as we navigate treacherous mountain...
Dec 04, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 192
Success as a platform PM requires both technical depth and exceptional emotional intelligence to navigate complex organizational dynamics... That goes double if you work in banking or finance! In this episode of Arguing Agile, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando read and respond to a question from a listener who is a platform product managers at a Bank. Getting into the nitty-gritty of platform how-to's, this episode is perfect for product managers, agile...
Nov 27, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 191
Have you been in a situation where engineering leadership and product management do not see eye-to-eye? In this episode, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel interviews and coaches Product Manager Brian Orlando on challenges product managers face when working with engineering teams, leads, and managers. Listen/watch to learn tactics for diffusing a potentially difficult situation, including: Strategies for effective spike work and time-boxing The importance of frequent check-ins and demos ...
Nov 13, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 190
