Coaching Pms
- 1.6k installs
- 1.2k repo stars
- Updated July 16, 2026
- refoundai/lenny-skills
coaching-pms structures PM development with competency models, assessment, plans, and accountability.
About
The coaching-pms Lenny skill helps leaders develop PMs via explicit definitions of good, current assessments, shared growth vision, development plans, and follow-up accountability. Frameworks cite Petra Wille competency models, Bangaly Kaba Bloom taxonomy levels from knowledge through evaluation, and Marty Cagan emphasis on coaching as primary leadership work. Questions probe stage-specific competencies, biggest gaps, and leader time spent coaching versus doing. Mistakes include coaching without models, identical treatment of junior and senior PMs, weakness-only focus, delegating development to HR, and skipping follow-up. Use when managing PMs, writing development plans, running performance reviews, or leveling PM team capabilities.
- Five-step framework from definition of good through follow-up.
- Uses Bloom taxonomy to locate PM critical thinking level.
- Requires company-specific competency definition before coaching.
- Balances strength amplification with weakness management.
- Flags missing follow-up on development plans.
Coaching Pms by the numbers
- 1,619 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #326 of 3,301 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
coaching-pms capabilities & compatibility
- Capabilities
- competency framing · assessment facilitation · development planning
- Use cases
- planning · project management
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| Installs | 1.6k |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 1.2k |
| Security audit | 3 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | July 16, 2026 |
| Repository | refoundai/lenny-skills ↗ |
How do I coach this PM toward what great looks like here?
Coach product managers using competency models, Bloom taxonomy diagnosis, and five-step development plans from top PM leaders.
Who is it for?
PM leaders running growth conversations and performance cycles.
Skip if: IC engineering mentorship without PM craft context.
When should I use this skill?
User coaches PMs, development plans, or PM performance reviews.
What you get
Shared vision and development plan with competencies, gaps, and follow-up rhythm.
By the numbers
- 3 podcast guests
- 3 curated mentions
Files
Coaching Product Managers
Help the user develop and coach product managers using frameworks from 3 product leaders who have scaled PM organizations at top companies.
How to Help
When the user asks for help with coaching PMs:
1. Define "good" in context - Establish what a successful PM looks like for their specific company and stage 2. Assess current state - Help diagnose where the PM is today across key competencies 3. Create a shared vision - Align on what growth looks like for both the PM and the organization 4. Build a development plan - Design specific actions, feedback loops, and timelines
Core Principles
Define good before coaching
Petra Wille: "Step number one is really having a solid definition of what a good product person looks like in your context." Create explicit competency frameworks before attempting to develop anyone.
Use Bloom's Taxonomy for diagnosis
Bangaly Kaba: "Bloom Taxonomy describes what's the different levels or order of critical thinking... knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation." Assess where PMs fall on the learning ladder to target development appropriately.
Coaching is the primary leadership job
Marty Cagan: "Sundar at Google has been saying that the number one thing they look for in their leaders is a good coach." Top companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft) prioritize coaching ability over domain expertise in their leaders.
Follow the 5-step framework
Petra Wille outlines a specific development process: 1. Definition of Good - What does success look like here? 2. Current Assessment - Where is the PM today? 3. Shared Vision - Where do they want to be? 4. Development Plan - What specific actions will get them there? 5. Follow-up - How will you track and support progress?
Questions to Help Users
- "What does a 'great' PM look like at your company specifically?"
- "Which competencies are most critical for your current stage?"
- "Where is this PM on the knowledge-to-evaluation spectrum?"
- "What's the biggest gap between their current state and your needs?"
- "How much of your time as a leader goes to coaching versus doing?"
Common Mistakes to Flag
- Coaching without a competency model - Development is aimless without a clear definition of good
- Treating all PMs the same - Junior PMs need different coaching than senior PMs
- Focusing on weaknesses only - Great coaching amplifies strengths while managing around weaknesses
- Delegating coaching to HR - PM development must come from PM leaders who understand the craft
- Skipping the follow-up - Development plans without accountability rarely produce results
Deep Dive
For all 3 insights from 3 guests, see references/guest-insights.md
Related Skills
- Running Effective 1:1s
- Having Difficult Conversations
- Delegating Work
- Managing Up
Coaching Product Managers - All Guest Insights
3 guests, 3 mentions
---
Bangaly Kaba
Bangaly Kaba
"Bloom Taxonomy describes what's the different levels or order of critical thinking you need in order to be a master of something... knowledge, and then it's comprehension, and then application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation."
Insight: The guest discusses specific educational frameworks like Bloom's Taxonomy to diagnose and level up PM skills, which is distinct from general team culture.
Marty Cagan
Marty Cagan
"Sundar at Google has been saying that the number one thing they look for in their leaders is a good coach."
Insight: Marty emphasizes that coaching is the primary responsibility of product leaders at top companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft) and is the only effective way to scale a product organization.
Petra Wille
Petra Wille
"Step number one is really having a solid definition of what a good product person looks like in your context."
Insight: The guest outlines a specific 5-step framework for developing PMs (Definition of Good, Current Assessment, Shared Vision, Development Plan, and Follow-up) which is distinct from general leadership or
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Use coaching-pms for PM mentoring frameworks; use cross-functional-collaboration when the need is squad coordination tactics rather than individual PM development.
FAQ
What is step one in the coaching framework?
Define what a good product person looks like in your company context.
How does Bloom taxonomy help?
It locates PMs on knowledge-to-evaluation levels to target development.
Who should own PM coaching?
PM leaders who understand the craft, not HR alone.
Is Coaching Pms safe to install?
skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.