They Don’t Understand Your Role as a Product Leader. But Do You?

The role of the product leader goes far beyond managing the product department. Unfortunately, in most companies, there is no one who can tell you that, simply because they haven’t seen it before. Here is your true responsibility as a product leader so that it’s no longer a secret.

Validation Is the Wrong Word

Everyone knows you can’t build a startup without proper validation. But validation is not the best word to describe what you really need to do and which results you can expect from it. Here is why, and what you need to do instead.

3 Core Skills of ‘The CEO of the Product’

The old saying is that a product manager is like the CEO of the product. In recent years people started complaining that this isn’t true because CEOs have authority that product people don’t have. While true, that’s not what this saying is about. Here is what being the CEO of your product really means.

Everything Is a Choice

We all take many things as given. This perception defines how we think and operate. But many of the things that we see as objective constraints are actually choices we or someone else made along the way. Here is how to allow yourself to choose right.

The Value Assessment Framework (Part 3)

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.

The Value Assessment Framework (Part 1)

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.

Competitive Storytelling

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.

Creating Clarity in a Complex Reality

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.

4 Fundamental Mistakes You Are Making With Product OKRs

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.

6 Types of Competition That You Must Be Aware Of

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.

The Critical Role of Product Strategy When Resources Are Limited (Part 2 – Rounds A, B, and Later)

When you start selling your product, you feel great, but that doesn’t last for too long. At some point, the results you expected and even produced in the past aren’t replicating. You add features, you replace salespeople, but it doesn’t help. You blame the market, but often that’s just overlooking the real problem. A product strategy is often the missing link that would convert your efforts into actual revenue.

The Critical Role of Product Strategy When Resources Are Limited (Part 1 – Seed)

A good product strategy is something every company needs. When VCs and customers aren’t throwing money at whatever you tell them, it becomes a critical tool. When you have fewer employees than you need, even more so. Here is how a product strategy can help you create business results, even when the market is not in your favor.