Insights and advice from the deeper layers of product leadership
Educating the market is hard enough as is, but there is one thing without which you cannot succeed. There has to be an unmet need that you can answer. And yes, even Facebook had one.
Strategic product thinking is hard. Especially when done as an afterthought – when the product is already in the market – it is nearly impossible to rise above specific features and metrics. Here is a framework that will help you do just that.
Problem-solving is one of the core characteristics of product managers. But the ability to solve customer problems does not always translate into the ability to solve problems for your own company. It is a slightly different skill to master, but very important for your ability to succeed.
The strategic process requires you to interview potential customers to better understand what they need. Talking to customers is important also on an ongoing basis, to make sure you are staying in touch with the market. But what do you need to ask in these interviews? There are a few common pitfalls to avoid, so here is a quick guide.
When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. As a product leader, other people, and maybe you as well, will lead every conversation with you towards features and product capabilities. While this is where your direct ownership is, as a product leader you don’t have the luxury to focus only on that.
Fully applying a data-driven approach to your product is hard. You need to invest a lot in building the infrastructure that will allow you to measure everything you want, see it clearly in a dashboard, and take action based on it. But metrics are a very powerful tool that you don’t want to give up on, even if you will never measure anything.
When the CEO sets the strategy, what is your role as a product leader? How can you be strategic when the strategy is set by someone else? Surprisingly, there is no contradiction there, and in most cases, there is more room for you than you think. You just have to know where to look for it.
Technical debt is always a hot discussion topic between product managers and engineers. It is not always clear how to handle it right, and who is the decision-maker. My recommendation is that product managers own it like they own any other feature. But beware – with great power comes great responsibility. Are you ready for it?
Product managers need to be creative. But I often see them do it wrong (especially in interviews), or believing that “they don’t have it” so they can’t move up the ladder to their next level. Creativity has many forms, and you only need some of them for your product career. Here are some dos and don’ts.
A good product strategy helps you to acquire happy customers and retain them over time. On your way there, there are many potential weak links that can prevent it from happening. Here is how product strategy helps you overcome them.
Ford Model T revolutionized transportation and powered multiple other revolutions. What made it such a success, and what can we all learn from it? Hint: innovative technology can only take you so far.
How well can you tell your product’s story? Is it a great one to tell? Make sure you use this very powerful tool correctly, to get the most out of it.
