Insights and advice from the deeper layers of product leadership
There are many ingredients needed in order for your product to succeed. Not all of them are related to your product, or even to your product’s domain. Your customers’ ecosystem has more impact on your ability to succeed than you might think. Here is why.
As product leaders, our success depends on others. We are so used to helping people and making sure the company gets what it needs, that we sometimes take it too far. Where is the line that you shouldn’t cross? Here are three examples of things you shouldn’t do.
As product leaders, we constantly struggle to balance between getting guidance from above and setting the direction ourselves. The CEO, or any of the founders if you are in a startup, seems to rightfully want to set the tone. Or do they? Here are 3 things you want to pay attention to.
With everything you have to do every day, it is so easy to neglect strategy. Not because it’s not important, but because it seems less urgent than everything else you have to deal with right here and now. But much like code, your product strategy also requires maintenance. And when left unhandled for too long, you might barely notice, but the impact can be deadly.
Your product will always have bugs, and you will always need to chase and fix the important ones. But sometimes, the really important bugs are not showing in the product itself. These are bugs in your product strategy, and if not fixed, it will be very difficult for your product to succeed. Here are a few popular strategic bugs and how you can fix them.
So you have done your planning and now want to communicate your roadmap to management or to the team. You know that you need a little more than a timeline with features on it, but what is this more exactly? Here is a template that will help you not only communicate your roadmap better but also build it the right way from the get-go.
In the effort to create empowered teams, many managers struggle with their role in the process. It is easy to think that an empowered team requires less guidance, but it’s far from the truth. It requires a different kind of guidance, but your management and leadership are still required nonetheless. Here is the right kind of guidance to bring to the table.
Part of your role as a product leader is pure management: management of the execution, and of the people who report to you. It can be quite challenging, both because it is objectively complex and because of time management. In order to succeed, make sure to create the management routines that would help you. Here’s how.
Roadmaps require massive prioritization. But prioritizing what exactly? Many people prioritize features, epics, or themes. It’s nice, but there is a much higher level of prioritization that needs to happen and would impact your roadmap much more. Here is how to discuss priorities at the right level.
Great managers empower their people. They give them the freedom and their full trust to simply show their greatness and shine. But there is a thin line between empowerment and too much freedom. Too much freedom doesn’t work for them as much as it wouldn’t for you, even if you are not willing to admit it. Here is what you need to be aware of if you want to keep being a great manager, not just in your head.
As product managers, we can’t succeed without others agreeing with our direction and doing their part. Meetings are an important tool in that mission. First, you need to prepare and understand what is the desired outcome of that meeting. But then comes the hard part – how to get everyone onboard? Here are some guidelines for how to run the meeting itself and get to the outcome you want.
As a product leader, you most likely spend your day in and out of meetings. This is natural since working with others is how we make things happen. But does it work for you? This simple tip can revolutionize your effectiveness and help you make the most out of the meetings you are having anyway.
