Hi, I’m Cynthia Johanson, a product coach for startups and high-growth teams.
What I do
I help set up teams for success by establishing a strong product foundation based on my 20+ years of experience at top companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, Pivotal Labs, Twitter, and Pinterest.
What I offer
The early days of a new team are crucial for establishing a productive culture. I’ll work with your team to reach a high-performing trajectory quickly by incorporating best practices from the top companies in the industry. Specifically, I’ll help your team:
Build a strong, user-first product management foundation and skillset
Establish a world-class, cross-functional, and agile culture
Construct and onboard a product team optimized to deliver on the company’s goals
My approach
There are hundreds of books and blogs about product management, but the guidance they offer is challenging to translate into a day-to-day course of action, especially for those with minimal past product management experience. What actually moves the needle is direct and actionable guidance from an experienced product manager who’s willing to climb into the trenches with you. My coaching approach provides concrete tactics, from identifying challenges with known solutions to recognizing opportunities to differentiate from the competition. I will help your team build the product by identifying clear paths through complex problems and equipping your team with the tools they need to succeed.
When a new team forms to build a product, there are critical waypoints that can make the difference between success and failure. For example:
Breaking down a product into incremental components
Maximizing collaboration and minimizing conflicts between product, engineering, and design, all while hitting mutual goals
Defining goals that increase the potential of success
Understanding the type of product manager you need for your product and team
I’ll guide your team through these challenges while helping them build skill to face future ones with confidence.