5 brutal signs your product training isn’t working
And what to do instead
You know that post-training buzz?
Your team walks out of the workshop fired up.
Spitting acronyms, quoting frameworks, whiteboarding like they're auditioning for a Silicon Valley docuseries.
And then?
Nothing
Silence.
Meetings go back to status updates.
Roadmaps are still foggy.
Stakeholders are… confused….. Again.
The energy fades, and your expensive training quietly morphs into what it really was: a very nice PowerPoint deck.
Here’s the raw truth: most product training fails not because it’s bad, but because it ends. There isn’t a change
Training isn’t transformation. And unless your organization is intentionally reinforcing new behaviors where they matter most (on the job), you’re lighting money—and time—on fire.
How do you know if your investment in product training is falling short?
Here are 5 uncomfortably accurate signs your product teams are slipping back into old habits—and what to do about it before it costs you even more.
1. Your team "loved the training" but nothing changed.
Weeks later, you still see:
Roadmaps that read like wishlists.
Decisions made on gut feel, not data.
Product reviews that feel more like status updates than strategy sessions.
The new techniques didn’t stick.
What to do:
Inject training into the real workflow:
Require key deliverables (like prioritization sessions or roadmap drafts) to apply specific training concepts.
Set expectations early: “We’re using this approach from now on.”
Don't wait for habits to form naturally—they won’t.
2. Managers can’t tell you what improved.
Ask a manager: “What’s changed since the training?”
You’ll hear:
“Well… they seemed really engaged!”
Yikes.
If your leaders can’t see and name the shift, they definitely can’t coach or support it.
What to do:
Train your managers to be multipliers, not spectators. Give them:
Observation checklists to spot real behavior change.
Feedback scripts tailored to product skills.
Coaching prompts to spark meaningful 1:1s.
And most importantly: model the behaviors yourself—yes, you.
3. Every team speaks a different product dialect.
One squad loves OKRs. Another obsesses over MVPs. And nobody agrees on what "discovery" means.
Without a shared product language, collaboration dies.
What to do:
Unify your product culture.
Create a central “Product Playbook” (keep it simple, not bureaucratic).
Use consistent templates for strategy, vision, roadmaps.
Hold regular show-and-tells using the same frameworks.
This isn’t about standardization for its own sake. It’s about clarity, alignment, and making sure your teams aren’t building in different directions.
4. Your training materials are gathering digital dust.
If the shiny templates, canvases, and guides aren’t being used, it’s not your team’s fault. They’re not lazy—they’re overwhelmed.
People default to what’s easy.
What to do:
Make the new way the easy way.
Embed tools into workflows with triggers like: “Starting a new discovery phase? Use this canvas.”
Audit what's used and kill what's not.
Put resources where the work happens, not in some graveyard folder on SharePoint.
Out of sight = out of mind.
5. You can’t link training to real results.
If you can’t point to:
Faster time-to-market,
Clearer customer outcomes,
Or tighter alignment with strategy…
…then what was the training actually for?
What to do:
Measure what matters.
Use a product maturity model to baseline your team.
Run a competency assessment pre/post training.
Track leading indicators (e.g. customer feedback quality, strategic clarity, confidence in stakeholder meetings).
Celebrate wins loudly. Progress is fuel.
Product Training ≠ Business Impact.
Unless You Make It.
If any of these signs hit a little too close to home, don’t worry—you’re not alone. And you’re not broken. But the system might be.
The 70/20/10 model reminds us that real learning is 70% on the job, 20% through coaching, and just 10% in formal training.
Don’t stop at the 10%.
You don’t just need training, you need Power Up: a program that embeds transformation in your team’s daily rhythm.
No fluff. No theoretical fluffery. Just focused, practical shifts that make your team sharper, faster, and more confident.
Want your product team to go from “trained” to truly transformed?
Power Up is built for leaders like you—who are done with wasted potential and want results they can see, measure, and feel.
Because product leadership isn’t about knowing more.
It’s about changing how you show up—and what happens after you do.
👉Join Power Up. Start seeing results in 90 days.
Talk to you soon,
Anne
p.s. for those who are already further in the proces to become a product leader. I’m starting a new mentoring in september.
You can join the waitlist here.
p.s.s. I only work with the people that have signed up before we start.
Rebuild authority and finally get heard
You will receive for 7 days in a row a step by step appoarch.
This approach will help you move from task clerk into product management.
Are you ready to start?