3 More Questions with Smita Hashim

Summary

Building One with Tomer Cohen - Episode 3: More Questions with Smita Hashim

Release Date: May 21, 2024

In the third episode of Building One, hosted by LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, Tomer Cohen, the focus shifts to a succinct yet insightful segment titled "More Questions with Smita Hashim." This episode delves into the personal and professional perspectives of Smita Hashim, the Chief Product Officer of Zoom, offering valuable career advice and glimpses into her worldview.

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1. Career Advice for Aspiring Product Leaders

Timestamp: [01:32]

Smita Hashim emphasizes the importance of education for those aiming to excel in product management. She advocates for pursuing formal education as a foundation for a successful career in the field.

Smita Hashim: "I do think you should go to school and you should maximize your education... I feel like four year degree and you get a great education. I feel like everyone should do it and it's a way to really get some good ROI from it as well."
[01:53]

Smita underscores that a degree, particularly in engineering, equips individuals with essential skills and knowledge, providing a substantial return on investment. She also highlights the significance of balancing technical education with emotional intelligence (EQ) and liberal arts to foster well-rounded product leaders.

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2. The Balance of Technical and Soft Skills

Timestamp: [02:33]

Beyond formal education, Smita points out that often, traditional academic paths may overlook crucial aspects such as emotional intelligence and creative thinking.

Smita Hashim: "Some of the things which sometimes we miss out on is the EQ part or liberal arts or learning for philosophers, thinkers, artists. So I think going to places where you can find some balance of that is helpful."
[02:33]

This insight emphasizes the necessity for aspiring product managers to cultivate both their technical prowess and their ability to connect with teams and understand user needs deeply.

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3. Envisioning a Parallel Universe

Timestamp: [02:42]

In a lighter vein, the conversation transitions to a playful exploration of what Smita might choose to be in a parallel universe. This reveals her intrinsic motivation and personal values.

Smita Hashim: "I love people and love community and you love connecting... I would do something with local communities where I could be hands on. I love the idea of community and physical connections so I would love to do that."
[02:42]

Smita’s vision in a parallel universe mirrors her professional focus on building collaborative tools and fostering human connections, highlighting her passion for community and interactive engagement.

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4. Integrating Personal Values into Professional Life

Timestamp: [03:04]

The interviewer ties Smita’s personal interests back to her professional role, illustrating how her love for community and connection influences her work at Zoom.

Interviewer: "Everything from your superpower to you working on collaboration tools to empower people to come together to even your parallel universe. So it's shining through."
[03:04]

This alignment between personal values and professional responsibilities underscores the authenticity and dedication Smita brings to her role, driving the success of Zoom's collaborative products.

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5. Closing Thoughts

Timestamp: [03:17]

The episode concludes with heartfelt appreciation for Smita Hashim’s insights and a teaser for the next episode featuring Noah Weiss, the former CPO of Slack.

Smita Hashim: "Thank you. My pleasure. Tune in next week for our interview with Noah Weiss, the former CPO of Slack."
[03:28]

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Key Takeaways

• Value of Formal Education: Smita advocates for obtaining a four-year degree to build a strong foundation in product management, emphasizing the return on investment such education provides.

• Holistic Skill Development: Beyond academics, developing emotional intelligence and creative thinking is crucial for effective product leadership.

• Community and Connection: Smita’s passion for community and human interaction significantly influences her approach to building collaborative tools at Zoom.

• Alignment of Personal and Professional Goals: Integrating personal interests with professional roles can lead to more authentic and impactful leadership.

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This episode, though brief, offers meaningful reflections from Smita Hashim on education, skill development, and the importance of community in product leadership. Her insights serve as valuable guidance for listeners aspiring to thrive in the dynamic field of product development.

Transcript

[Jessi Hempel]

From LinkedIn news, I'm Jessi Hempel, host of the hello Monday Podcast. Start your week with the hello Monday podcast. We'll navigate career pivots. We'll learn where happiness fits in. Listen to hello Monday with me, Jessi Hempel on the LinkedIn Podcast Network or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Smita Hashim]

LinkedIn News.

[Interviewer]

Hey everyone. Last week we had Smita Hashim, CPO of Zoom. On building one, we learned how Zoom balances its product roadmap with being responsive to customers, why Zoom is not about to dictate how it will work in the future, and how Smita has benefit from a growth mindset. In this episode, we take two minutes to learn about her career advice. For anyone looking to jumpstart a career in production, a product that doesn't exist yet that you would wish has existed, then there's no constraints, no laws of physics. So it's wherever you want to go.

[Smita Hashim]

Star Trek teleporters. I have an amazing global community and global family. Just like take me and put me somewhere else. Let me interact with them and bring them back. So you said no constraints. This is no constraints.

[Interviewer]

I think I'm causing issues for myself with the no constraints. Teleportation is by far the number one answer for this question.

[Smita Hashim]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Interviewer]

So I think the laws of physics is keeping people in the same space of.

[Smita Hashim]

Yeah, maybe you should say some laws of physics have to apply some.

[Interviewer]

I'm going to apply some 100%. We talked about your career starting in academia and I was curious how you felt about it today. If you were to advise somebody who wants to have a great career in product and if they were to go to school, would you actually say go to school and if they go to school, what do you think they should learn?

[Smita Hashim]

I mean, I'm a believer in learning, so I do think you should go to school and you should maximize your education. I feel like an engineering degree and again, it's not accessible for everyone, but four year degree and you get a great education. I feel like everyone should do it and it's a way to really get some good ROI from it as well. So yes, I really want people to do it. I think some of the things which sometimes we miss out on is the EQ part or liberal arts or learning for philosophers, thinkers, artists. So I think going to places where you can find some balance of that is helpful. But yes, I mean, I definitely believe in school.

[Interviewer]

And who would you like to be in a parallel universe? Or would you, if you could choose to be in multiple universes, what do you see as a different parallel universe for Smita?

[Smita Hashim]

I love people and love community and you love connecting. So you know, so I think I would do something with local communities where I could be hands on. Like I love the idea of community and physical connections so I would love to do that. You know we build products and do those globally but you know, but the human connection is really what energizes me.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, there's clearly a theme there for you. Everything from your superpower to you working on collaboration tools to empower people to come together to even your parallel universe. So it's shining through.

[Smita Hashim]

Yes, yes.

[Interviewer]

Smita, it was wonderful for me to learn about your journey and about how you build, how you build at Zoom, some principles you had. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[Smita Hashim]

Thank you. My pleasure. Tune in next week for our interview with Noah Weiss, the former CPO of Slack.