Product Momentum Podcast

Before we jump headlong into implementing Lean or Agile. Before we decide that OKRs offer the best chance to set goals and measure results. And before we determine that a particular design methodology will lead us to successful product development, product leaders need to understand the “underlying cultural things about teams and about companies that need to be addressed first,” Bruce McCarthy says. “You’ve got to get straight the ‘why are we here?’ questions,” says Bruce McCarthy, who joined Sean and Paul in this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast. According to Bruce, the founder of Product Culture and author of the book, Product Roadmaps Relaunched, we cannot meet our lofty goals – let alone the aspirational ones – without first embracing the cultural aspects that explain our place in the world. What problems are we solving? Why, and for whom? How will we work together to achieve our objectives? What is our mission – our purpose in the world? When we focus on these questions, we begin to understand the intersection of product culture and product management. In many ways the two overlap, Bruce explains. Product management is “a role, a discipline, and a set of tools and responsibilities.” Product culture, on the other hand, is less tangible. It gives valuable insight about how product managers prioritize resource allocation, formulate decisions, and deliver value for their customers. In many ways, good product culture is a “we know it when we see it” sort of thing. What’s most enlightening is the way Bruce brings to life an organization’s culture through the eyes of the customer. Product culture has a Vision that empowers the customer, a Plan that delivers value in incremental steps along the path to vision fulfillment, and an outcome-based effort by a diverse Team aligned around that common vision. Tune in to hear more from Bruce, including: [02:01] Product Culture talks about those cultural aspects of why we’re here, how we work together, how we think about the purpose of going to work every day that’s mostly on my mind. [03:49] Product management and product culture. Considerable overlap, but significant differences. [03:49] Three elements of product culture: vision, plan, team. [06:45] “Things are impossible until they’re not.” It’s the history of Innovation. [07:52] Innovation is not about changing technology. It’s about our perception of what’s possible. [10:33] Have you heard the story of General Magic? [13:29] Product as vehicle. Radhika Dutt: “A product is a vehicle for making change in the world.” [14:01] What killed Blackberry? They forgot, or never realized, that they were a status symbol. [15:15] Product success and the Venn diagram. When feasible and viable come into overlap. [15:59] The product manager’s role in roadmapping. Speak vision into the roadmap. [17:30] The right feature? It depends on what problem you’re trying to solve. [21:20] Outcome teams. The 4th level of product teams. [24:49] The nature of software development. Building one-offs for the first time, every time. [28:04] Prioritization. Why it’s the fundamental skill of the product manager. [32:34] Tactics for up-and-coming PMs. Agree, prioritize, align, repeat. [37:40] Imagination. The ability to envision something that does not yet exist. [40:31] Innovation. Feasible, viable, badass. The post 30 / Essential Components of Product Culture appeared first on ITX Corp..

Design thinking calls on product people to put themselves in their customer’s shoes. To empathize with them. Saleema Vellani agrees, but adds that empathy is borne out of self-awareness and that understanding others requires us first to understand ourselves.  In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Sean and Paul welcome Saleema Vellani, author of the soon-to-be-released Innovation Starts with I. Saleema explains how practicing empathy, more specifically compassionate empathy, requires a shift in mindset that helps us truly connect with our product’s users in deeper, more meaningful ways.  “Compassionate empathy is becoming increasingly important,” Saleema says. “It’s not about just understanding a person, what they’re feeling. It’s actually feeling moved to help them.” To understand that connection, she adds, is to be the catalyst for innovation. Listen in to catch easy-to-implement practical tips for product managers and their teams from Saleema Vellani. What you’ll hear: [01:59] The future of our product space. AI, machine learning, and automation is creating a lot of job displacement. But with it is coming exciting new product roles and opportunities. [02:12] The “Augmented Age.” The human skills (e.g., emotional intelligence, empathy, critical thinking, cultural intelligence, technology, and data science.) [03:39] 3 types of Empathy. Emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, and compassionate empathy. [03:46] Innovation Starts with I. Practicing empathy starts with first understanding oneself. [03:55] Design thinking guides us understand our customers, to put ourselves in their shoes. [04:00] Associative thinking helps us first understand who we are and then connect seemingly unrelated things. [04:50] Be a “dot connector.” Applying associative thinking to move from self-awareness to compassionate empathy to innovation. [05:02] Can empathy be learned? [06:03] Empathy and innovation. Empathy is the engine behind innovation. [07:12] The “sweet spot” of innovation lies at the intersection of feasibility, viability, and desirability. [09:11] Product radical listening. The key to a more holistic understanding of the problem. [09:50] Groupthink. Creativity’s kryptonite. [10:44] Product people, heal thyself. Starting with I requires an openness to learning about yourself. [11:52] Product thinking. A newer concept in which product managers need to become product coaches, and more organizations must become product-led. [12:15] Product thinking, part deux. It’s not just about the products; it starts from understanding yourself. [13:50] Inclusion as the catalyst for innovation. Inclusion requires learning as much as possible about different stakeholders using tools like empathy mapping, journey mapping, and user experience mapping. [15:22] Innovation. The process of taking all the things that are already out there and reassembling them in a new way. [15:49] A “recovering perfectionist.” Wanting to be perfect is counterproductive. [16:25] Outcomes > outputs. Perfectionists think about outputs. Problem solvers think about outcomes and how they make us feel. [17:17] GSD (get stuff done). Better to implement something that’s not perfect than have a bunch of half projects hanging waiting for perfection. [17:56] Compassionate empathy. The kind of empathy that actually moves us to help. It’s solution focused. [19:59] Tips for product managers. Create psychological safety; let failure be OK. Practice inclusion. Be outcome focused. So many more! [20:53] The job of product managers is to give value. Giving value starts with using empathy to understand yourself and your customer. [21:44] Be an intrapreneur in an organization. Help others by giving them autonomy and flexibility, understanding what will make them happy in their work. [23:50] The difference between listening and making a person feel heard. [25:06] Understand the problem before jumping to hypotheses. When we take the time to understand the problem, we often learn that the real problem is very different than we initially thought. [25:14] Innovation is putting together existing things in new ways that create value. The post 29 / Empathy is the Catalyst for Innovation appeared first on ITX Corp..

Rich Mironov, a 40-year Silicon Valley product veteran who coaches product leaders and fixes product organizations, discusses influencing stakeholders across finance, sales, engineering and the C-suite. He talks about selling discovery work, timing market validation, guerrilla discovery tactics, tailoring communication styles, measuring customer outcomes, and making engineers care about the product.

A product’s vision communicates the change we want to bring to the world, Radhika Dutt says. It starts with why, but in the same breath also answers for whom. That’s why a great vision statement is outwardly focused. Product teams craft them not to declare our own goals and aspirations, but to focus attention and energy around the problems we want to solve for our users. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Radhika Dutt sits down with Sean and Paul to explain how vision-driven products not only clarify the why and for whom. But they also resist the common diseases that afflict product success. In the absence of a clear vision statement that is uniquely our own, we work without direction. We confuse activity with purposeful effort. And we deliver solutions to problems our users don’t have. But bringing vision and strategy isn’t enough. Product leaders and their teams need to translate vision and strategy into action. Radical Product Thinking, a movement co-founded by Radhika, provides a step-by-step approach to help teams build game-changing products. It guides teams through a process of applying sound vision, actionable strategy, and effective prioritization to prevent the ailments that end up killing products. What to listen for: [01:09]  Maintaining momentum through iteration. The right way to build products is through iteration, but we also need to limit the number of iterations by eliminating the unnecessary ones. [03:29]  The 2 extremes of Vision statements. One aims to disrupt, reinvent, or revolutionize. The other is focused on business objectives. [05:03]  Vision statements must be outwardly focused. Users don’t care about a company’s “best in class” aspirations. [05:36]  3 product diseases. Strategic swelling, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis. [06:21]  Radical Product Thinking. It’s a response to repeatedly running into these same diseases no matter the size of the company or the industry you’re in. [07:58]  Follow your North Star. But don’t be afraid to step back and say, “Wait a minute; we’re following the wrong star.” [10:34]  Is there risk in being too tied to a vision? [13:00]  Use your vision as a filter. Does this feature I’m working on align with my vision? [14:07]  A strategy has to be flexible enough to allow you to adapt in the face of market realities. [16:25]  Anything can be a product. Based on the commonalities, even a government policy can be a product. [21:05]  Align your vision to where people want to go anyway. That way, the product isn’t forcing people to change. It’s adapting to what is going to be. [22:41]  Serving multiple personas in 2-sided markets. Use your North Star to determine where your true loyalty lies. [25:19]  How to prioritize a feature. A balance between helping me survive the quarter and fulfilling my vision. [27:37]  Business KPIs and Product KPIs. The Ying and Yang that helps you progress toward the vision while tracking your business success. [31:14]  Innovation. Changing people’s lives for the better. [32:00]  Accidental Villains. As you change one person’s life for the better, you’re changing someone else’s for the worse. [33:36]  Empathy. It’s not just about product managers showing empathy for their users. It has to happen across the whole organization. [34:05]  Organizational cactus. The internal friction that leads to the accumulation of vision debt. The post 27 / Product Success Starts with a Clear Vision appeared first on ITX Corp..

The difference between the best product companies and the rest is pretty stark. And you don’t have to wait until the end of the fiscal quarter to figure which is which. Those lagging indicators will tell you only what happened. Past tense. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in what will happen, begin by examining the level of empowerment within those companies. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Sean and Paul sit down with Marty Cagan, product thought leader, mentor, and founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG), to discuss the power of empowerment. The job to be done by empowered teams, Marty says, is to solve the hard problems. Sounds simple, but the implications are enormous. So take heed, product people. Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned product veteran, there’s something for you in our no-holds-barred conversation with Marty Cagan. What to listen for: Feature Teams, Product Teams, Delivery Teams (06:47). The differences between them and empowered teams are real, and significant. Empowered Teams (08:33). Like start-ups, they need to figure out the products customers are willing to buy (value) and whether those products can sustain a business (viability). Innovation (11:25). Solutions to hard problems that add value for our customers and our business. Role of the Product Manager (13:13). They have to go figure out something worth building. So they have a bigger responsibility on an empowered team. For New & Up-and-Coming Product Managers (16:32). What hiring managers are looking for is much more about how you think about solving problems, coming at it with a different perspective. The Best Single Source of Innovation (21:56). Marty’s comments may surprise you…though maybe not. Value of Developers (25:00). If you’re just using your developers to code, you’re only getting about half their value. The post 26 / Empowered Teams Build the Best Products appeared first on ITX Corp..

Trust is the ultimate collaboration tool within teams. So says Stephen Covey, who joins Sean and Paul on this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast. In fact, trust is so vital that innovation cannot occur in its absence. Steven is the best-selling author of The Speed of Trust who has taught leadership around the world. Trust is the currency that inspires innovation, which Stephen sees as a “continuum of staying current and relevant with our product and service offerings.” It is the enabler, guiding teams from coordination to cooperation to collaboration. Innovation cannot be achieved by one person working alone. These are such simple statements, but important not to confuse simplicity with underlying truth. Creating a culture of trust takes time and intention. There are so many takeaways from our conversation with Stephen Covey; here are just a few – Discover the 5 ways Trust inspires Innovation. Product leaders need to speak the language of trust. We never used to talk this way, but today it’s what makes a leader credible. Trust is foundational to all great product development. This is as true for our product’s users as it is for the team working on it. Listen in to learn even more. The post 25 / 5 Ways That Trust Inspires Innovation appeared first on ITX Corp..

Product people chase innovation. Sometimes we grow frustrated by how much time it takes “to get there” and how many barriers to innovation stand in our way. We’ve been led to believe that sprinting as fast as we can toward innovation will help us catch that lightning in a bottle, all the while failing to consider that innovation is a long game. Jake Knapp, author of Sprint, provides a refreshing perspective on today’s episode of the Product Momentum Podcast. Imagine the irony, says Jake, who joins Sean and Paul for a conversation about innovation. The goal of the design sprint is not to help us move faster – at least not in the short term. It’s to get us to slow down. To pause, even for just a few days, by breaking down barriers to innovation and making time for one thing that really matters. Here are three key takeaways from our conversation with Jake Knapp: Be aware of the defaults in life that rob your attention, energy, and time. Ask yourself: “what keeps me up at night?” And then listen closely for the answer. Innovation is authentic and different and unique. It is the product of clarity in your mind and harmony in your heart. The post 24 / How to Overcome Barriers to Innovation appeared first on ITX Corp..

As a community, have we gotten better at product leadership? The answer depends on who we ask and what we use to measure performance. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Sean and Paul pose the question to Richard Banfield, VP of Design Transformation at InVision. “A lot depends how much you are able to distance yourself from the day-to-day work and take a bigger picture viewpoint,” he responds. “If you’re in the weeds every day, it’s hard to believe that we’re making progress because those daily challenges haven’t necessarily gone away. But if you take a step back and look at the entire industry, you can see we’ve got better at a bunch of things.” It can be easy to lose sight of this in the midst of the ever-increasing complexity in the tech space. How can product leaders ensure that they are getting better and keeping pace with the industry? Richard Banfield offers these tips in today’s episode: Taking tips from other fields, like Formula One racing and high-performance athletes Mastering the ‘hard skills’ – the soft skills that are difficult to master Defining how you make decisions in a team environment with shared principles and values Read the full blog post here The post 23 / The Product Leader’s Path To High Performance appeared first on ITX Corp..

For today’s product leaders, it’s not enough to have technical proficiency or apply the right techniques. These skills are necessary to be sure – vital even – but no longer sufficient by themselves. Effective product leaders deliver even more. To make and implement effective strategy decisions, product leaders need buy-in from key stakeholders. In a role that brings great responsibility but little direct authority, product managers need to build rapport throughout their ecosystem. With over 15 years of experience teaching product managers, Roman Pichler cites the importance of people skills in building rapport and becoming an effective leader. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, product management expert and leadership consultant Roman Pichler joins Sean and Paul for a behind-the-scenes deep dive into the role the softer skills – specifically, empathy – play in effective software product management. Empathy, Roman says, means recognizing that the human aspect of our job is really at the core of it – no longer just a ‘nice to have.’ Empathy is the capacity we have to understand each other’s feelings and needs, perspectives, and interests, building rapport with those we work with every day. With rapport comes the trust required to influence the many people in our domain and involve them in delivering solutions for customers. The post 22 / Combining Empathy with Tech appeared first on ITX Corp..

Imagine a colleague asks you to describe the software product manager role. Where would you begin? So few of us actually studied this stuff in college, and the field is evolving every day. How can we hope to explain it when we’re not even sure we’re doing it right? We deliver MVPs for MVAs. We set goals using OKRs and KPIs. And we apply a host of methodologies to build all this incredible software. But in the midst of all the jargon, it’s easy to lose sight of our greater purpose. This is where Johanna Rothman comes in to help. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Sean and Paul chat with Johanna Rothman. She is the author of 17 books and her advice is valued for its frankness and depth of expertise. Also known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” Johanna helps product leaders identify problems, recognize opportunities, and remove obstacles in their career development process. Though she has authored more than a dozen books on digital product management, Johanna sees software not as the end goal – but as the means by which we achieve that greater purpose – inspiring our teams to improve the world around us. Read our blog post here The post 21 / A Pragmatic Approach to Product Management appeared first on ITX Corp..