The PM Wheel Competency Model
by Petra Wille • Independent Product Leadership Coach & Author at Strong Product People
Petra is an independent product leadership coach based in Hamburg, Germany, and the author of 'Strong Product People'. She focuses on helping product leaders (Heads of Product, CPOs) improve their capability to coach and develop their teams.
🎙️ Episode Context
In this episode, Petra Wille discusses the critical role of product leaders in coaching their teams, outlining a 5-step framework for people development. She also delves into the art of storytelling for Product Managers, offering practical formats for different audiences, and explores the value of internal Communities of Practice for scaling learning.
Problem It Solves
PMs and their managers often lack a shared language to discuss skills, gaps, and growth areas objectively.
Framework Overview
A visual assessment tool that breaks down the PM role into 8 specific buckets, ranging from understanding problems to agile execution and personal growth. It serves as a diagnostic tool for coaching conversations.
🧠 Framework Structure
Understand the Problem & Find Solutio...
Plan & Get it Done: Strategy, roadmap...
Listen & Learn: Data literacy, user r...
Team & Growth: Soft skills, team moti...
When to Use
During onboarding, performance reviews, or when a PM feels stuck and needs to identify specific areas for improvement.
Common Mistakes
Using a generic template without customizing it to your company's specific needs (e.g., technical vs. design-heavy roles).
Real World Example
A PM might rate themselves high on 'Execution' but low on 'User Research,' prompting a specific coaching plan to run 5 customer interviews next quarter.
T-shaped is so not enough for a product person... use the metaphor of the eight-legged creature.
— Petra Wille