Why did you decide to work with PLA?

I decided to work for PLA because I found that there was a really good concentration of product operations knowledge within the group, as well as a supportive and encouraging community. Both of those things together made me want to get involved. 

How did you become a part of the community?

I became a part of the community because a friend suggested I check out the Slack community. After joining, I got to know some of the people on it and became more involved. I’ve since attended some virtual events and eventually ended up writing a blog post. It’s been great to deepen my involvement with the community.

What were the main benefits for you as a contributor?

I’ve gotten tremendous value both as a contributor and as a participant. Being a community, the line is blurred between the two – as you participate, you contribute, and vice-versa. It’s all about engaging with people.

I love that it's a way for me to connect with real people and hear from them. I have gotten so many great stories about how different companies are solving similar problems, and can then take those and use them in my own work.

What were the key outcomes for you?

By default, my knowledge is limited to my own experience. But for my consulting clients, I need to bring in a range of best practices to help them succeed. Communities like PLA allow me to draw on a wider range of experiences. It's given me a chance to increase my own expertise and knowledge.

In addition, it's given me another venue with which to grow my audience. I've enjoyed having that additional channel to talk about some of the work that I'm doing and find people who are interested in talking more about it or reading some of my articles. 

What value did you want to bring to the product community with your work? And do you think you were able to achieve that?

I'm driven by helping people work in companies with a product culture that they're proud of. PLA helps me share my thoughts, get feedback on work in progress, and reach more people to talk about these things together. 

I think my involvement here has allowed me to further that mission and help people build companies with stronger product cultures.

Why should other product pros take advantage and work with Product-Led Alliance?

There are some great people to connect with, it's a strong platform to publish on, and if you give to it, the community will give back to you too.

You should definitely publish here if you're looking for more places to get your thoughts out and participate in an active community, especially if you're looking at anything within product operations or product-led growth.