Focus, the art of letting fires burn | Krishna Panicker (Airbase, Pipedrive, Microsoft)

#16: In this episode, Airbase's VP Product, Krishna Panicker, sits down with Axel to talk about the importance of focus for product managers and teams. Krish is a seasoned product manager with a career spanning over 20 years. He has a passion for building teams that drive growth and deliver consumer-grade experiences, as well as a deep curiosity for what drives demand.

Previously Krish led the product team at Pipedrive and started his career at Skype before the acquisition by Microsoft. Post acquisition, his role grew to look after Skype and Skype for Business.

Krish is also a prominent speaker at conferences (Mind The Product, ProductCon).

Where to find Krish

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnapanicker/

Where to find Axel

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/axelsooriah/

About Panash

We provide training and coaching programs to help product professionals unlock their true potential and become high performers.

You can learn more about our programs here: https://www.panash.io/

Our blog contains articles and free resources on key topics for product managers and leaders.

Check it out here: https://collection.panash.io/

Referenced in this episode:

• Krish's talk about Value Stacking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0l9-EGCHm0
• Krish on Know Thy Competition: https://youtu.be/sF6e4n_YkxQ?t=2957
• The 4 big risks framework: https://www.svpg.com/four-big-risks/

Show notes and highlights

(01:21) Krish's background

(05:35) What is value stacking

(06:56) Krish declares PM Bankruptcy

(07:53) Let some fires burn 🔥 🔥 🔥

(09:27) Noise is a function of number of touchpoints

(13:01) How do we focus when 70% of initiatives fail

(15:12) Unfailing your way to success

(16:23) The 4 Risks framework

(20:41) Using Product reviews to front-load the pain

(24:25) Division of labour, accountability and ownership

(27:37) Using product reviews to identify and tackle risks

(35:12) Creating psychological safety

(6:27) Having a lot of jabs instead of the disease

(38:46) Krish's Treasure Chest

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Mentioned in this episode:

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