Support System for Product Leaders

Key Topics Covered:

• Why product leaders struggle to scale themselves

• The hidden cost of “doing it all yourself”

• Executive assistants: why product leaders rarely have them — and why that’s a problem

• Delegation as a leadership skill, not a weakness

• How to identify the work only you can uniquely do

• Research and data support for strategy work

• Coaches as shortcuts for clarity, accountability, and skill-building

• Communities of practice as leverage for leaders

• The “professional athlete” mindset for product leadership

• When AI helps — and when humans still matter

• Letting go of perfection: “80% done by someone else is 100% awesome”

Notable Quotes:

• “You are a pro athlete. It makes sense to think about how you scale your impact without adding more to your calendar.” — Petra Wille

• “As you get busier, it becomes more important to focus on the value only you can bring.” — Teresa Torres
“80% done by someone else is 100% awesome.” — Dan Martell (quoted)

Practical Takeaways for Product Leaders:

• Audit your time: what work truly requires you?

• Experiment with small amounts of support (even a few hours a week)

• Delegate outcomes, not just tasks

• Keep the hands-on work you love — but be intentional about it

• Use peers, coaches, and communities to learn how others delegate

• Don’t wait until burnout to build your support system

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: ProductTalk.org

• Follow Petra Wille: Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in the episode:

• Petra’s Coaching for Product Leaders (petra-wille.com/coaching-packages)

• Dan Martell (danmartell.com/author/dmartell)’s book Buy Back Your Time (buybackyourtime.com)