Insights and advice from the deeper layers of product leadership
CEOs have product ideas all the time. It’s a legitimate component of their ability to lead. But how can you lead the product if the CEO gives very specific guidance? The answer lies in making yourself their thinking buddy. Here is how to do it.
Everyone treats authority differently. Some of it is cultural, and some of it is personal, but how you treat authority impacts your ability to lead. Especially in product management, where authority is limited, you need to act beyond the limits of formality. Here is how.
The value assessment framework allows you to identify gaps in any of the value layers – definition, delivery, and perception. But not all gaps are alike, and not all of them need to be treated the same way. Some even need to be left untouched. Here is a guide on how to tell the difference and how to address each.
Your product’s value needs to be defined, delivered, and perceived as such by your customers. If this isn’t challenging enough, what your customers want and need varies based on their profile and maturity with your product. Here is a simple framework to help you understand what they need, and more importantly – where are your current gaps.
Your product sells not for its features, but for the value it brings to your customers. Defining the value though is easier said than done. True product value lies in understanding and meeting the deeper, often unspoken needs of customers, beyond just functionality. Here’s a three-step approach to ensure products connect with users on a more meaningful level.
Product leadership is such a hard role, one of the hardest. You live at the heart of endless conflicts caused by a variety of points of view that collide with each other. You are involved in complex decision-making under extreme uncertainty. Here is a simple tool that will help you shine and help others along the way.
Nobody likes bad news. But what happens if this is the reality? Realizing it is one thing, and a more important thing is to accept it as it is and then act to change it while you can. You can’t change the reality of today, but you can change tomorrow. Here is a quick guide to get you going.
When you are asked to provide competitive analysis, don’t treat it as a chore. If you imagine diving into endless lists of feature comparisons, think again. The competitive analysis itself is a major part of your product strategy efforts, and here is how to do it at the right level.
As a product leader, your role entails much more than leading the product itself. It often involves complex decision-making – and many decisions that you can’t necessarily make on your own. Here is a simple tool that will help you create clarity and lead to alignment and better decisions.
OKRs are an amazing tool to drive business success. Starting with OKRs is easy. Doing it right is not necessarily so, especially with product OKRs that are a unique beast. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid.
Sometimes your competitors are not the usual suspects. They might not be the products that appear exactly in your category, and honestly, they might not be products at all. Here are six categories of competition that you must be aware of.
Most of us try to avoid arguments with our peers. We have so many of them regardless. However, provoking productive disagreements is a key leadership skill you want to master. Here is how fostering healthy debates is essential for effective leadership and better outcomes. Yes, you want people to argue with you.
