Micro-Interview: Petya Valkova | Chief Product Officer | Evrotrust
š¬Never be afraid to say, "This is something that I donāt know. Explain/teach me.ā
INTRO NOTE:
Petya Valkova is the Chief Product Officer at Evrotrust Technologies, a Qualified Trust Service Provider offering an end-to-end solution to digitalize every paper-based process: electronic identification, electronic signatures, and electronic delivery services combined to create a fully remote user journey via mobile and web applications.Ā
In under 500 words, she shares:Ā
How she got into product managementā¦
How she starts his mornings for maximum productivityā¦
Some of her sources of learningā¦
And moreā¦Ā Ā
Enjoy!
āHow did you get into product management?ā
I have spent years in the sphere of customer experience, leading teams and projects to improve NPS scores, build online applications, and increase sales satisfaction rates.
My first steps in real product management were back in 2019 when I joined Evrotrust and was assigned to lead the development of a new product from scratch in partnership with a big brand. This gave me indispensable experience that no course or university can replace.Ā
āHow do you start your mornings at work?ā
I am not a morning person at all, so the coffee comes first. I select the big wins for the day: it can be 1 or 2 tasks, a meeting to drive an important decision, etc. At the end of the day, these wins make you feel accomplished and able to celebrate daily success. Of course, this is not always the case, but we, the product people, are good at juggling and should be prepared for the unplanned.Ā
āWhat do you know about product management now that you wish youād known when you first started?ā
I remember being so frustrated by APIs and SDKs back in the day. I asked, and I learned.
Never be afraid to say, "This is something that I donāt know. Explain/teach me.āĀ Ā Ā
āWhat did your biggest product failure teach you?ā
It was hard; to be honest, I took it personally and tried to find where I went wrong. Never overthink; find the lessons learned and make them work for you and the team in the future.Ā
āWhatās the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your product management learning curve?ā
Surround yourself with the right team members and achieve together. The team is the most important part. We are people building for people, and the human factor is the ingredient that can make a difference.Ā
Secondly, dive into the deep and learn from practice. Be open to learning and improving, and never think that you have learned it all.Ā
āHow do you stay updated on the best practices in product management?ā
I'm following people with the same interests, mainly on LinkedIn: Dr. Bart Jarowski, Ankit Shukla, and many others.Ā