Ken Norton
Executive Coach & Former Google PM Leader at Independent / Former Google
Ken Norton spent 14 years at Google leading product teams that built Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Maps, and did a stint at Google Ventures. He is now a full-time executive coach specializing in working with product leaders. His famous 'bring the donuts' essay has influenced a generation of product managers.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Ken Norton, who led product teams behind Google Docs, Calendar, and Maps over 14 years at Google, shares his philosophy that the art of product management matters far more than the science. Now a full-time executive coach, he covers the creative versus reactive mindset, why PMs are leaders from day one despite having no formal authority, and how his famous 'bring the donuts' essay was always about servant leadership — doing whatever needs to be done to help your team succeed.
Leadership Principles
- → You are a leader from day one in product management — you have no formal authority, but leadership is your job
- → The art of product management is much more important than the science of product management
- → Bringing the donuts is a metaphor for servant leadership — fill the white space, do whatever needs to be done
Notable Quotes
"Part of what's pretty exciting about product management is you are a leader from day one. There's leadership all over the place, but that's your job. You're a leader. You don't have any formal authority, but you're a leader. You're expected to lead."
— On what makes product management unique as a leadership role
"Bringing the donuts was really a metaphor around being a servant leader, bringing whatever needs to be done, filling the white space, filling the gaps, whatever needed to happen. It doesn't always have to be donuts."
— On the enduring meaning behind his famous essay about PM servant leadership
Want to know how you compare?
Take the Assessment