Ken Norton

Your role just got harder.

Do you have what it takes to keep leading?

Executive coaching for product leaders

Ken Norton

Improve Your Decision-Making

Tap Into Your Strengths

Increase Your Leadership Capacity

“Ken’s never going to get rid of me as a client.

Working with him has been transformational. I’m finally clear about my goals and values, more satisfied in my role, and more present in my life.”

Kirk Miles

Kirk Miles

Chief Product Officer at PandaDoc

(formerly VP & GM at Dropbox)

Climb this high and it’s easy to get dizzy

Being the most senior product leader is different — and often disorienting. At other stages in your career, you could follow rules set by someone else. Now it’s up to you to. The world is complex, your job is complex, and it's harder to keep up than ever. If your internal operating system doesn’t grow and change to meet these challenges, you’ll stagnate, stall — or even fail.

Do any of these common internal struggles sound familiar?
  • A sense of increasing pressure
  • Second-guessing yourself
  • Feeling lonely or isolated in your role
  • Decision paralysis
  • Doubting you deserve your position
  • Intensity you don’t know how to cope with
  • Wondering if you’re up to the task at hand
  • Feeling like you’re checking boxes and chasing carrots without really knowing what you’re solving for

“I love having Ken in my corner rooting for me. He’s like my professional big brother or uncle.

I reached out to him because my new role as the most senior product leader in the company was pressure-testing me in a way I've never encountered before. It felt lonely and I knew I needed to become a better version of myself. These days, I actually look forward to the emotional ups and downs I experience in my role, because I know I’m going to generate a meaningful insight working through that emotion with Ken.”

Amit Rozeman

Amit Rozeman

VP Product & E-Commerce at Whole Foods Market

You deserve an ally in your corner

It’s not you. This is hard. And as the saying goes, What got you here won’t get you there. To thrive in a new or growing role, you’re going to need support to become a more fully expressed version of yourself.

  • Become a creative, visionary, successful executive
  • Improve your communication and self-awareness
  • Develop your emotional intelligence
  • Unlock better decision making
  • Build a world-class team and deliver winning products
  • Connect with your authentic values and sense of purpose

“Working with Ken has changed the way I approach not only my job, but my personal relationships.

When I was promoted to VP, I experienced a bit of an existential crisis. I questioned my abilities and whether I deserved to be in that role. Ken’s helped me build confidence, recognize my unique strengths, and internalize that I deserve my job. He’s able to push me, and also be in my corner.”

Kate Estep

Kate Estep

VP of Product Management at Flatiron Health

Ken Norton Ken Norton Ken Norton

I get it. I’ve been there.

Hi, I’m Ken Norton. I spent more than 14 years in product leadership at Google, building products that are now used by more than three billion people worldwide. As I grew in my career, I had my own “Through the Looking Glass” moments, where the rules I’d been playing by stopped working and I needed help to evolve.

I eventually realized that coaching leaders and helping them grow was my favorite part of my job. Multiple coaching certifications and 1000+ hours of training later, helping product-minded executives thrive has become my full-time passion.

I get how hard your job can be at these heights, and I want you to succeed — whatever that means to you.

How Executive Coaching with Ken Norton Works

Video Call

2× Monthly Sessions

We’ll meet twice a month for an hour, at a regular day and time. All coaching sessions are fully remote. I also make time between our regular sessions for the occasional ad hoc call if needed, and I enjoy providing this extra level of service.

Asynchronous Messaging

Unlimited Async

I’m always here for you. If you would like to share a win, need a sounding board, or have a challenge between our coaching sessions, please feel free to email or text me as often as you like.

360 Degree Assessment

360° Leadership Assessments

Early in our relationship, I’ll likely do a 360° assessment, which solicits feedback from your peers. We will conduct fresh assessments periodically to reflect on your growth and identify new developmental areas. All costs are included in our engagement.

Rocket Launch

90-Minute Kickoff Session

In our first session, which is longer, we’ll spend time designing how we’ll be working together. We’ll also identify and understand the primary focus areas for our coaching. This is your big vision for transformation.

Calendar

Minimum 6-Month Commitment

This gives us the time and space to develop a powerful coaching alliance based on authenticity and trust. Most of my clients end up partnering with me for years.

Company Building

Paid for by Your Company

My monthly retainer fee is usually paid by the companies my clients work for. I can invoice them directly, or charge a credit card.

I work with Chief Product Officers, Founders, CEOs, and other product leaders at companies of all shapes and sizes, from early stage pre-seed startup to publicly-traded household names. I’ve coached hundreds of leaders, including executives from these top companies.

Logos of coaching clients

“Ken’s coaching improves the quality of the decisions I make.

He has a deep understanding of how product-minded individuals think, which was crucial for me. It’s like working with an incredible Zen product leader who knows how to ask the right questions to get me to the right answers. He’s helped me gain clarity and confidence in taking action instead of feeling paralyzed by choices.”

Dennis Xu

Dennis Xu

Co-Founder of Adaptive Computer and Mem Labs

Whatever you’re struggling with, coaching can help

Coaching is different. Executive coaches help you get to the root of the challenges you’re facing. We don’t tell you what to do; we collaborate to help you discover what you should do. The role of a coach is to encourage you to come up with and make your own suggestions and decisions and to support you in removing obstacles to growth and development. Here are some examples of topics we might cover and benefits my clients have seen. (Learn more about coaching.)

Mountain

Discovering your values, purpose, and authentic leadership voice

North star

Setting powerful long-term product strategy and a vision for success

Emotional range

Identifying, understanding, and appreciating emotions

Low battery

Overcoming burnout, stress, plateauing, and mid-career crisis

People debating

Communicating effectively while navigating drama and conflict

Two people high-fiving

Building enduring relationships with your boss, board, customers, and peers

Lightbulb

Evolving from a reactive to a creative leader

Roadmap

Designing your own vision for a fulfilling life and career

Person with outstretched arms

Finding confidence and growth in the face of inner critics and impostor syndrome

Clipboard and whistle

Hiring, coaching, mentoring, and supporting others to greatness

Clock

Becoming more effective at leveraging your time, attention, and energy

Bundle of yarn

Leading through chaos, confusion, uncertainty, and inertia

Two people holding up a lightbulb

Nurturing psychological safety and innovative, empowered product cultures

Voices inside head

Processing data, making decisions, and identifying self-defeating belief systems

Person meditating

Mindfulness, balance, and conscious leadership

Get a product-minded executive coach in your corner to unlock your full capacities as a leader

Lenny’s Podcast logo

Ken Norton on Lenny’s Podcast

To learn more about my coaching approach and leadership philosophy, check out my conversation with Lenny about helping product leaders break through.

Read more »
Outpace Top Coaches Badge

Top Product Leadership Coach

Ken was named the #1 product leadership coach in the world by Outpace, Reforge, On Deck, and Products By Women.

Best Books for Product Managers [2024]

Best Books for Product Managers [2024]

Essential product management reading

The Art of Product Management

The Art of Product Management

Why and How to Develop the Essential Human Skills

It’s Time to Fight for a Dual Product Management Career Path

It’s Time to Fight for a Dual Product Management Career Path

Companies should embrace multitrack job ladders for product managers who prefer product leadership to people management

Building Products at Stripe

Building Products at Stripe

Go deep, move fast, and build multi-decade abstractions

How to Hire a Product Manager

How to Hire a Product Manager: the Classic Essay

The classic essay that defined the product manager role

The Tools Don’t Matter

Product Managers: The Tools Don't Matter

Why are product managers so obsessed with frameworks and tools?

What Makes A Strong Product Culture?

What Makes A Strong Product Culture?

How a company's view of technology, product leadership, and empowerment contribute to product success

Ants & Aliens: Long-Term Product Vision & Strategy

Ants & Aliens: Long-Term Product Vision & Strategy

Why you need a thirty-year product vision (yes, thirty)

Please Make Yourself Uncomfortable

Please Make Yourself Uncomfortable: Jazz and PMs

What product managers can learn from jazz musicians

Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) Leadership Circle Profile Certification EQ-i 2.0 / 360 Certified