katerina suchkova

Using design thinking to solve problems and build meaningful products

Coaching product managers and leaders

transitioning to product leadership?

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Everyone deserves a coach and product managers are no exception
Coaches are agents of positive change who facilitate meaningful transformation and a positive impact in organizations, communities, and society at large. I never could have achieved the great levels of success in my career without a coach challenging me and supporting me along the way. Moreover, I've witnessed the transformation in the many product managers and leaders I have coached. Watching my clients step into the PM arena with more confidence and lead their teams with more clarity, empowerment, humility, and a more inspiring vision is the greatest reward for me as a coach — and it’s why I do what I do.
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What's missing - the human side of product management

Common belief in the software development world is that in order to build a successful product management career, you must have the hard skills and know how to manage stakeholders. While I believe these competencies are critical as they help you break into the field and move up in your PM journey, they don't necessarily take you to your North Star. Just as Jerry Colonna, the CEO coach, believes "better humans make better leaders," I wholeheartedly believe that better humans make better product managers, and they make leaders who build better teams and products. To help realize your full potential and that of your team, you cannot ignore the human side of product management. Partnering up with an experienced coach like myself could be the first step towards moving that pendulum.

Team Coaching & Building

Do you find yourself having to defend your team’s role in the org, lacking culture on your team, or not attracting great product managers? These are just a few challenges I work with my client to overcome. Let’s equip your product team with whatever they need to be at their best.

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1-1 Coaching

Are you thinking about transitioning to leadership? Do you lack clarity on your career path as a PM? Are you feeling stuck in a senior role? Trying to manage up or get promoted? Bring any challenge to our work, and we’ll crystalize your goal, build a roadmap, and partner up to achieve it.

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A Head of Product

We hand pick a group of high-achieving product managers to work in a group setting over 6 weeks focused on helping you gain leadership skills and mindset through practice. Expect to increase your self-awareness, work on a real project, and complete the program with tangible results.

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Why partner up with me

I know what it's like to be a product manager on a "feature team," to navigate a never-ending job search process, to get stuck mid-career, to feel unappreciated and unrecognized as a product manager, to transition to leadership dogged by feelings of imposter syndrome, and to lead people during turbulent times. Deeply rooted in these experiences, my coaching style allows me to be very effective when working with clients. Evidence-based and inspired by Marty Cagan's framework on coaching and developing empowered product teams, my unique approach enables me to make a tangible impact on a product leader's life. Continue reading to learn more.
  • Working together with Katia was a delight. I can hardly call it work, actually, since I enjoyed every single session. Katia is a great coach, she knows what she is doing, she is very competent. Not only does she have a wide knowledge and experience in product management, but she also is able to identify personal obstacles that might be blocking you to move forward and beautifully lead you towards realizing and reflecting on your own. I can see a very big difference in me before and after the sessions and confidently say that this difference is a positive one. Sandra, Product Manager
    Sandra
  • Katia has been instrumental in helping me improve as a Product Manager. In only a few sessions, we identified and resolved some areas that allowed me to be a better Product Manager. Her attention to detail, listening to my situation, and thoughtful responses allowed us to hit the ground running immediately. Lastly, working with her gave me a sense of "professional therapy" that I needed to help with processing past experiences. This alone has given me the belief in myself I needed for a while. Obviously, I look forward to working more with her to find other areas where I can improve and elevate my career even further. Greg, Sr. Product Manager at Stripe
    Greg
  • Katia always hits the spot! In this call we talked both about leadership as well as product strategy. Our discussions helped me walk through the issues & challenges I'm having and conceptualize the actions and next steps I can take to resolve and mitigate those issues. I always have an a-ha moment after our call! Co-founder, COO at Startup
    Lisa
  • In addition to being a great product manager, Katia is a strong, empathetic people leader. Not only did Katia successfully coach, mentor and lead her direct reports, she also took on a mentorship role to many outside of the product organization at 15Five. Katia took it upon herself to take on the role of product coach to several aspiring product managers. We had multiple people who successfully transitioned into product from other parts of the business, primarily because of Katia's coaching. Dianne Frommelt, CPO at 15Five
    Dianne
  • Katia has a very calming and personable personality balanced with so much knowledge. She's a natural coach and made my first few months in a new, larger, and more established product org extremely smooth. Still relatively green in my product career, Katia made me feel confident and capable in my new role while also helping to ease anxiety or any imposter syndrome I felt. Her human first coaching approach is exactly what I needed to feel safe and comfortable to take risks and ask a lot of questions. She coaches by asking great questions and helping you find the answer yourself, which is not only brilliant but also incredibly empowering. If you have the opportunity to work with Katia, do it. You won't be disappointed. She's an amazing human and a great product mind. Zo Nicole, (They/Them), Product Manager at 15Five
    Zo
  • Katia is absolutely amazing coach! Her professionalism in symbiosis with her outstanding personality makes the collaboration not only successful but also a very pleasant experience. I was completely lost in the very beginning without any idea what direction to take, and Katia has been guiding me with patience and deep understanding. Now I have very clear knowledge in regards to what steps I need to take and what exactly I need to do in order to get the desired job. Manager at Retail Company
    Alina
  • I can't give any higher recommendation to Katia. I'd been coached by a few coaches before and she's by far the best! She has the knack and the balancing act of listening to your concerns and mental roadblocks and the clarity to help you propel and move forward. She can act both as your mentor and coach. Katia always hits the spot on the next steps and things I can do/try. It's not rare that I have an "aha" moment after our conversations. I would really recommend her to anyone feeling they're in a career intersection or wants to grow in their career. Co-founder, Product at Startup
    Anonymous (HC)
    Startup Co-founder, Coaching Client
  • Katia has a passion for modern design thinking methodologies and was a pioneer at ServiceNow helping teams frame up their most mission-critical projects using a “Design Sprint” methodology. Regardless of their product/business domain, Katia is able to coach a team through a series of design thinking exercises to help them tease out all the great ideas from the domain experts in the room to create a blueprint for their project that everyone can rally around. Her PM pedigree gives her an added level of credibility you often do not get from run of the mill process coaches. If you have a chance to benefit from her services - do it! You won't regret it! Victor Chan, Director of Product Management at ServiceNow
    Victor Chan
    Victor Chan, Product Management Director, ServiceNow
  • Business problems, whether small or large, defined or nebulous - Katia will fearlessly charter a path to a solution that consolidates the knowledge domains of the experts on your product teams. The Design Sprint method that Katia has employed and refined not only helps teams solve problems but makes sure that the resulting solution is something the producing team is confident of. With a winning mix of experience in a complex problem space, a charismatic moderation style, product management expertise, and adaptive design-led thinking, Katia is well prepared to help teams become effective decision-makers at any stage of the project. Stephen Paras, Sr. Manager, UX/UI at ServiceNow
    Stephen Paras
    Stephen Paras, UX/UI Design Manager of Design System