Insights and advice from the deeper layers of product leadership
Product managers need to talk to customers. It’s not always easy, and they don’t always tell us what we want to hear. But if we listen carefully, we can learn much more than what they actually say. Here is what my boss once taught me about how to really listen to our customers.
In part two of this summary, I am moving to talk about strategy and leadership insights. As these are topics close to my heart, I had a lot to say – so here are my thoughts backed by SVPG’s insights on these topics.
Last month I had the privilege of participating in SVPG’s ‘Coach the Coaches’ workshop in Europe. After 3 full days of meaningful discussions, I took the time to reflect and share with you my thoughts and insights.
As servant leaders, and especially in product management which is the master of leadership without authority, we are used to always working for the greater good. But sometimes, our success depends on things that we need just because we need or even want them. Here are a few examples where it’s perfectly fine to make things personal.
In the past, working from home used to be the way to disconnect from the hectic office and get “real” work done. Nowadays, when working remotely had become the new norm, it’s harder than ever to maintain this balance. Here are my best tips for productive, deep work from home.
Complex decisions tend to be stuck in endless discussions. People see things differently, and hard decisions are harder to make on your own. As a product leader, you play a key role in helping align everyone and leading towards a decision. Here are the steps you will need to take in order to get there.
The goal of goals is to help everyone focus and aim in the right direction. But sometimes, in the attempt to achieve more, companies are not willing to give up on any front, which means no focus at all. Here is how to regain focus and help everyone understand what they need and needn’t do.
In the current hiring frenzy, everyone is struggling to find the right talent. But once you have found them and convinced them to work with you, the journey only begins. The path of a new product person into the company is a tricky one to master. Here are the tips that will help you help them.
As product leaders, our professional lives are full of constraints. What’s possible to develop, what can be measured, what management wants, and the list goes on. We are so used to working within these constraints that we sometimes forget to even consider a better alternative. Here are a few places where you don’t want to make this mistake.
We live in an agile world. Plans change all the time. In such conditions, is building a roadmap worthwhile? This question is more interesting if you are following a coherent strategy, which usually means that you know more or less what needs to be done next. Still, a roadmap has many surprising benefits. Here are a few.
Strategic thinking is hard by definition. It deals with many unknowns, as well as multiple dimensions and variables at any given time. The only way to move forward is to identify the real anchors and build around them. Here’s how to do that.
Hiring the right people is so important, but how can you be sure that you are making the right choice? It all starts with understanding what you really need, in levels much deeper than the job description. Here is a simple method to help you choose the best people.
