Podcasts about product leadership

Product Leadership Is a Jack-of-All-Trades!In this snippet, Adam Harmetz, Vice President of Product Management at Microsoft, shares what product leadership really looks like at scale.From finance and legal to HR, culture, and product planning, no two days look the same. It's a role that demands being boundless across disciplines, balancing deep thinking with the occasional emergency firefighting.At the senior level, Adam explains, the real advantage is being able to define your own job. With strong teams handling the day-to-day, the focus shifts to a few high-impact, differentiated problems each year, the ones that truly move the business forward.Listen to the full podcast- https://premade.outgrow.us/interview-with-Adam-Harmetz#Outgrow #Podcast #AdamHarmetz #Microsoft #ProductManagement #ProductLeadership #TechCareers #BuildingAtScale

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia speaks with Rachel Wolan, CPO at Webflow, the visual development platform valued at $4 billion that empowers over 3.5 million designers worldwide. Rachel discusses Webflow's bold strategy to evolve into an AI-native experience platform with the launch of AppGen, a tool bridging the critical gap between AI prototyping and true production for enterprises like The New York Times and Spotify.What you'll learn:The ICCPO Framework: Why modern leaders must remain patient zero and use their own tools to understand the systems they build.From SEO to AEO: Why Product Managers must now own Answer Engine Optimization as a primary distribution channel.AppGen Strategy: How to move beyond simple wrappers to generate full-stack, on-brand web apps directly from prompts.Key Takeaways

Surojit Chatterjee is CEO of Ema, an agent platform build AI employees. They have raised $61M in funding from Accel, Section 32, and others. Before Ema, he was the chief product officer at Coinbase. And before that, a VP at Google. Surojit's favorite book: Man's Search for Meaning (Author: Viktor Frankl)(00:01) Welcome(00:07) Defining the “AI Employee”(02:23) Lessons from Google: Building for Scale(06:59) Coinbase CPO: Hypergrowth & Product Leadership(09:24) Market Framing: Why “AI Employee” vs Copilot(14:29) Platform Building Blocks (Agents, Orchestrator, Fusion, Governance)(19:26) Trust, Security, and On-Prem Deployment(23:11) Model of Models: How Fusion Picks & Combines LLMs(29:10) What Infra Is Still Missing (Eval at Scale, Speed)(32:10) Rapid Fire Round--------Where to find Surojit Chatterjee: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surojitchatterjee/--------Where to find Prateek Joshi: Website: https://prateekj.com Research Column: https://www.infrastartups.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-joshi-infiniteX: https://x.com/prateekj

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Larry Contrella, General Partner at JMI Equity, to unpack how JMI invests in software without financial engineering or roll-up strategies. Larry explains how the firm builds conviction through founder relationships, long-term partnership, and a product-and-brand-first view of durable growth. They discuss how JMI supports companies through scaling, why operating partners keep returning, and how underwriting looks different in mission-driven sectors like K–12 and nonprofit tech where customers are schools and communities, not Fortune 500s. Larry's background as a competitive runner at Penn ties the conversation together with a clear ethos: patience, discipline, and playing the long game.—SPONSORS:Mercury is business banking built for builders, giving founders and finance pros a financial stack that actually works together. From sending wires to tracking balances and approving payments, Mercury makes it simple to scale without friction. Join the 200,000+ entrepreneurs who trust Mercury and apply online in minutes at https://www.mercury.comRightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Tipalti automates the entire payables process—from onboarding suppliers to executing global payouts—helping finance teams save time, eliminate costly errors, and scale confidently across 200+ countries and 120 currencies. More than 5,000 businesses already trust Tipalti to manage payments with built-in security and tax compliance. Visit https://www.tipalti.com/runthenumbers to learn more.Aleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runFidelity Private Shares is the all-in-one equity management platform that keeps your cap table clean, your data room organized, and your equity story clear—so you never risk losing a fundraising round over messy records. Schedule a demo at https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com and mention Mostly Metrics to get 20% off.Sage Intacct is a cloud financial management platform that replaces spreadsheets, automates workflows, and keeps your books audit-ready as you scale. It unifies accounting, ERP, and real-time reporting for finance, retail, logistics, tech, and professional services. With payback in under six months and up to 250% ROI, and eight years as the customer-satisfaction leader, Sage Intacct helps you take control of your growth: https://bit.ly/3Kn4YHt—LINKS:Larry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-contrella-160a8a25/JMI Equity: https://www.jmi.com/CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Is taking a company public even worth it? | Fullstory's Chad Goldhttps://youtu.be/zSD8y9dr4VgSo You're Looking for a “Strategic” CFO? Bloomerang's Steve Isom on What That Really Meanshttps://youtu.be/cgHOtvG1Ces—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:02:49 Sponsors — Mercury | RightRev | Tipalti00:06:41 Joining the JMI Conversation00:07:13 College Running and Team Dynamics00:08:13 New York Marathon Story and Career Intersection00:11:04 Competitive Drive and Patience With Founders00:12:54 Building Long-Term Partnerships and Underwriting Credibility00:15:27 Growth Equity as a Long Sales Cycle00:15:48 Sponsors — Aleph | Fidelity Private Shares | Sage Intacct00:18:44 Fund Planning, Deal Pacing, and Board Commitments00:20:59 Sourcing Philosophy and Developing Investors Over Time00:22:09 Hustle as the Only Sustainable Edge in Sourcing00:24:14 Early Sourcing Tactics and Information Arbitrage00:26:06 Reputation, Experience, and Breaking Into Competitive Deals00:29:42 Organic Growth Over Roll-Ups and M&A Discipline00:32:51 Brand, Product Leadership, and Paying for the Best Businesses00:33:29 Bloomerang and Brand-Led Growth in Nonprofit Software00:34:46 Why JMI Operators Keep Coming Back00:36:28 Collaborative Leadership and Giving Constructive Advice00:38:20 Using Data Without Slowing Decisions00:39:20 Transparency, Alignment, and Knowing Where You Stand00:40:31 Why JMI Invests in K–12 and EdTech00:42:07 Mission-Driven Businesses and Talent Advantage00:43:24 Monetization Models in Nonprofit SaaS00:45:40 Conviction Bets and Product-Market Fit Stories00:48:49 Rethinking TAM and Expanding Markets Over Time00:50:40 Lightning Round: Sourcing Stories and Lessons00:52:58 Traits of Great Founders and Changing Beliefs00:54:20 Closing Thoughts and Outro#RunTheNumbersPodcast #GrowthEquity #B2BSoftware #FounderRelationships #PrivateEquity This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Stop wasting time building the wrong thing faster!In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager: Brian Orlando and Business Agility Coach to THE STARS: Om Patel respond to yet another listener question, discussing Product Risk Analysis in agile environments! Listen or watch as they challenge the common misconception that analyzing risks upfront is "waterfall" and reveal why ignoring product risks until you've burned three sprints is how teams end up building features nobody wants.Stick around while the hosts break down Marty Cagan's four critical product risks (Valuable, Usable, Feasible, and Business-Viable) but stick around for the conversation on why most teams focus on execution risks while the real product killers are hiding in plain sight!The topics covered are:- Difference between product risks and execution risks- Why traditional risk registers are theater- "Speed-to-death" prioritization for testing assumptions- Handling team skill gaps as feasibility risks- Aligning stakeholders who fixate on the wrong risks- Why business viability (pricing, unit economics) is the most ignored yet most dangerous riskThis episode is great for product managers, agile coaches, and team members who want to stop building things people don't want.#ProductManagement #Agile #RiskAnalysisREFERENCES"Marty Cagan - Inspired", "Melissa Perri - Escaping the Build Trap", "Teresa Torres - Continuous Discovery Habits", "David Marquet - Turn the Ship Around", "Product School blog", "Eric Reis - The Lean Startup"LINKSYouTubeWebsiteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

Tim Berglund talks to Mike Agnich (Confluent) about his career in product leadership and startups. Mike's first job: refereeing youth basketball. His challenge: leading product across connectors, governance, stream processing, and partnerships at Confluent.SEASON 2 Hosted by Tim Berglund, Adi Polak and Viktor Gamov Produced and Edited by Noelle Gallagher, Peter Furia and Nurie Mohamed Music by Coastal Kites Artwork by Phil Vo

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we're joined by Sumeet Arora, Chief Product Officer at Teradata. Sumeet shares his insights on the importance of speed and innovation in the fields of data analytics and AI, emphasizing how Teradata delivers impactful business results by transforming complex data challenges into actionable solutions. The discussion dives into product leadership principles, the balance between speed and reliability, and the evolving landscape of analytics.-------------------Key Takeaways:Building strong systems and focusing on velocity enables organizations to innovate quickly without sacrificing quality.Trustworthy, well-modeled data and clear, measurable outcomes are essential for successful AI and analytics.The best product improvements come from listening to customers, obsessing over their problems, and being willing to rethink or remove features.-------------------“ I think it's equally important for people in my role to not just build a great product, but also build it fast. It has to be fast and excellent, both. And doing things faster in this era means that you have to also treat velocity as a product itself.  It's almost like setting up the right system and then great things come out.” – Sumeet Arora-------------------Episode Timestamps:‍*(02:06) - Defining the mission of a builder ‍*(03:12) - Velocity as a product ‍*(07:51) - The shift to invisible, frictionless analytics ‍*(23:04) - Lessons from product failures ‍*(34:28) - Quick hits-------------------Links:Connect with Sumeet on LinkedInConnect with Kailey on LinkedInLearn more about Caspian Studios-------------------SponsorBuilders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what's next? Learn more at twilio.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How can diverse career experiences shape a stronger product leader? In this podcast hosted by Rachel Owens, Favor Delivery Chief Product Officer Rachel Losh shares how her unconventional path—from academia and publishing to leading product at Texas's food delivery app—taught her the power of customer empathy, adaptability, and business acumen. Rachel reflects on navigating nonlinear growth, building cross-functional trust, and leading with impact in fast-moving industries.

Debating why pricing belongs in product management's hands, not sales or finance.Product Manager Brian and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om are rankling egos as they discuss a heated debates: who should own pricing decisions? Listen or watch as they argue that pricing is product strategy, not a sales tactic. 

Episode #230 of The High Flyers Podcast features Bowen Pan, who led the creation of Facebook Marketplace and held product leadership roles at Trade Me, Meta, Stripe, and Common Room. He now advises startups and serves on boards including NZME and the Auckland University Business School.Born in China and raised in New Zealand, Bowen shares how learnt English at age nine, how he built Facebook Marketplace from a hackathon, worked directly with Mark Zuckerberg, and led global teams across Silicon Valley. He reflects on lessons in execution, leadership, and returning home to help build the next generation of world-class companies from Australia and New Zealand.It's time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy.________To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high→ Get up to 6 months of Notion's Business plan for free with Notion AI included (worth $12K): Go to - https://ntn.so/highflyers & click “Apply Now”If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today!Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.________CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!________Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ________The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries, including The CEO's of multi-billion dollar companies like Telstra, Bunnings, Australia Post, Woolworths, Airwallex, Eucalyptus, Tennis Australia etc; Board Members at Macquarie Bank, ANZ, Reserve Bank etc; Former Prime Minister of Australia; Globally renowned Tech CEO's from Google, Microsoft, Xero etc, Successful Venture Capital and Family Office Investors; CIO's at the world's biggest superannuation funds; Leading Entertainers; Olympic Gold Medal Winning Athletes and interesting minds you wouldn't have heard of that are changing the world. Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com

The best product leaders don't start in product—they start in customer success.Nick Mehta, former Gainsight CEO, sits down with PathFactory's CPO & CCO, Venk Chandran, who built his product career from the ground up in CS. Venk reveals why working backwards from renewals changes everything, how CS teams can drive AI adoption with their customers, and why websites are dying in the age of AI agents. Plus: the art of asking better questions, the emotional differences between CS and product roles, and what we owe our customers in the era of AI.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:- Why starting your career in renewals teaches you to work backwards from value- How customer success is fundamentally a financial business (and why that matters)- Why AI agents are replacing websites as the primary B2B buying experience- How to help customers adopt AI when they're used to manual workflows- The difference between outbound and inbound product managers (and why you need both)- Why is delayed gratification in product harder than the instant wins of CS- How to retrain yourself (and your customers) to ask better questions of AI---Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/---Where to Find Venk:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkchandran/Where to Find Nick:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/--- In this episode, we cover:0:00 - Preview & Introduction 1:10 - Venk's Journey From Radio Waves to Product Leadership 7:37 - How Venk Jumped From HR Tech → Sales → CS → Product (and Made It Work)10:32 - Learning at Salesforce: The Surprising Lesson Venk Learned From Renewals12:05 - Why CS Is a Financial Business First — The Real Definition of Customer Value15:19 - CS to CPO: 3 Game-Changing Skills That Make the Transition Possible17:05 - CS vs. Product: The Emotional Shift No One Talks About19:51 - PathFactory's Big Vision — Connecting Content Directly to Revenue (With AI!)22:28 - Why Websites Are Dying — And What's Replacing Them25:35 - Truth, Transparency & Trust: What We Owe Each Other in the AI Era26:51 - The AI Adoption Problem: Why CS Teams Struggle With Change Management31:35 - The Art of Asking Better Questions ---Referenced:Salesforce - https://www.salesforce.com/Perplexity - https://www.perplexity.ai/ChatGPT - https://chat.openai.com/

Trailblazing Women in Product Management with Pinky PanjwaniIn this episode, Nicole Tieche sits down with Pinky Panjwani, Director of Product Management for Striven at Miles Technologies, to talk about what it means to lead through learning. From crossing the chasm to building a team culture rooted in growth and simplicity, Pinky shares how persistence, patience, and a sharp sense for clarity have shaped her 22-year career. Ever wondered how to keep your team inspired while still chasing business outcomes? This one's for you. Key Topics Discussed in This Episode The accidental PM journey that turned into a 22-year product career. How Pinky went from software engineer to Director of Product Management — by “doing PM work before even knowing it was called PM.”  Turning learning into a leadership advantage. Why her team schedules “Sharpen the Saw” weeks to pause delivery and focus purely on growth.  Simplifying complexity. Why true product leadership isn't about adding more. It's about communicating less, better. Why Listen to This Episode?This energizing convo gives you:A fresh take on product-led growth — and how to make your product sell itself. Simple frameworks for fostering trust and learning across distributed teams. Real-world tips for communicating across stakeholders without losing clarity. A mindset shift on persistence over instant gratification in product work. Proof that great PMs don't just build products. They build patience, persistence, and people. Related Resources Check out these additional tools and resources to add to your PM belt: Productside Resource Library More Productside Stories Podcast Episodes Explore Productside Courses 

Product manager, entrepreneur, and author Ali Rakhimov joins Laurier Mandin to talk about how better communication can make even the most ambitious products take flight. From building payment kiosks for K–12 schools to leading multimillion-dollar initiatives at Macy's, Ali shares how simplicity, idioms, and “stupid” questions can cut through complexity and bring teams together. This conversation dives into how to keep innovation alive, avoid “boiling the ocean,” and use AI as a force for clarity, not chaos.Episode Highlights:00:02:00 — From the classroom to product leadership: How Ali's early years in K–12 shaped his management style.00:04:40 — Building, failing, and pivoting: The scrappy road trip that led to a startup exit.00:06:30 — The power of idioms: Why metaphors like “Elephant in the Room” and “Boil the Ocean” make teams communicate better.00:09:00 — Asking the “stupid” question: Turning imposter syndrome into clarity.00:12:10 — Focus vs. shiny-penny syndrome: How to simplify and ship without killing ambition.00:16:00 — AI hype and reality: What teams get wrong—and how culture determines success.00:21:00 — Learning curve to lifelong learning: From calculators to ChatGPT, adapting to new tools.00:27:40 — Making pigs fly: How Ali proved the impossible possible in K–12 fintech.Links:Find out more about Ali Rakhimov and buy "When Pigs Fly": Ali.inkSubscribe to Laurier Mandin's daily emails and buy "I Need That": LMandin.comLearn about Graphos Product, read the blog and get all podcasts with transcripts: GraphosProduct.com

How do top product leaders turn customer insights into game-changing innovations? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Medallia Chief Product Officer Simonetta Turek reveals how great product teams transform customer experience. Drawing from her extensive global leadership experience, Simonetta shares breakthrough insights on building innovative teams, navigating complex technological landscapes, and creating a mission-driven culture that drives breakthrough products.

Is product sense innate or learnable? We debate the million dollar question in product management.Brian and Om explore whether great product leaders are born or made, why organizations promote people with weak product intuition, and how to actually develop genuine product sense. We cover the promotion problem, delayed feedback loops, the role of mentorship, balancing data with intuition, and scaling product thinking across contexts.Key topics: nature vs. nurture in product thinking, why bad product leaders rise, learning challenges, mentorship environments, data vs. intuition, and transferring skills across domains.Whether you're developing your product intuition or building a product culture, this episode offers practical frameworks for intentional learning.#ProductManagement #ProductSense #Leadership #ProductStrategy #CareerDevelopmentLINKSYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Website: http://arguingagile.comINTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

In this episode of Arguing Agile, Brian and Om explore the frustrating reality of constant repetition in leadership roles. They discuss why product managers, agile coaches, and team leads find themselves saying the same things over and over - and what to do about it. We explore:• Why repetition is actually part of a leader's core job• How to transform repetition into reinforcement• How the global attention crisis affects workplace communication • Creating single sources of truth and communication contracts • The hidden costs of poor organizational alignment • Practical strategies to reduce unnecessary repetition Whether you're dealing with stakeholders who don't listen, teams that forget decisions, or an organization drowning in information overload, this episode is packed with tips to improve your communication effectiveness. #LeadershipCommunication #ProductManagement #OrganizationalEffectivenessREFERENCESArguing Agile 225: The Team That Got You Here - Navigating Growth and Team EvolutionArguing Agile 211: Communication is Product's Only Job, Or Is It?Arguing Agile 201: Mastering Stakeholder Communication and ManagementArguing Agile 198: Better Communication - Mastering Crucial ConversationsLINKSYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Website: http://arguingagile.comINTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

How do you turn regulatory constraints into a launchpad for innovation? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Questrade Financial Group Journey Leader Praneil Ladwa shares insights on transforming product management in the financial services industry. Discover how Questrade has reimagined its approach to innovation, customer experience, and organizational culture, offering a blueprint for product leaders navigating complex, regulated environments.

In this episode of The Kula Ring, Nicole Kangos, Director of Marketing at Snaptron, shares the story of how an engineering-led manufacturer undertook a major brand refresh, without big-agency budgets or losing sight of its core values. Nicole walks us through how she built trust with leadership, leveraged internal and external insights, and strategically positioned Snaptron to maintain its market leadership amid increasing competition. From winning executive buy-in to aligning the brand with the company's true innovation story, this episode offers a practical and inspiring look at what it really takes to modernize a manufacturing brand from the inside out.

Join Carmen Palmer, CEO of Women in Product, as she chats with Cassie Campbell, a fractional CPO coach and founder, about the insights from their powerful podcast series focused on product leadership coaching. This episode delves into the importance of coaching, distinguishing it from training, and its value for product leaders. They discuss key themes from the series, personal experiences, challenges, and the role of community, especially for Women in Product. Cassie also shares her journey and how coaching can uncover blind spots, foster growth, and enhance leadership quality. Whether you're a seasoned product leader or just starting, this episode offers valuable takeaways to navigate your career journey.00:00 Introduction and Host Transition00:36 Unpacking the Podcast's Focus on Leadership Coaching02:09 Themes from Top Coaches02:34 Customer Discovery and Outcome-Oriented Product Management04:19 The Importance of Context in Coaching10:53 Personal Takeaways and Blind Spots17:58 The Value of Executive Coaching25:23 Treating Learning and Development as a Product32:20 Navigating Financial Conversations in Product Leadership34:14 Behind the Scenes: Building the Podcast Series35:45 The Importance of Coaching in Product Leadership36:58 Key Takeaways from Podcast Production40:00 Addressing Team Challenges and Conflict47:55 The Role of AI in Product Management50:58 A Day in the Life of a Fractional CPO and Coach58:52 The Power of Community and Women in Product

When AI was just a sci-fi footnote and “product transformation” sounded like a buzzword, Michael Luchen was already in the trenches. In this episode, Hannah sits down with the original host of The Product Manager Podcast to unpack three years of change—from his early missteps to building scalable systems and navigating the AI tidal wave with nuance and strategy.Michael, now a self-described "Product Transformation Architect," brings candor and depth as he reflects on what it really takes to shift product culture, orchestrate cross-org alignment, and keep your teams (and kids) curious. Whether you're wrangling a roadmap or sketching ideas on construction paper, this one's for you.Resources from this episode:Subscribe to The Product Manager newsletterConnect with Michael on LinkedInCheck out Michael's website

In this episode, Cristina Flaschen, CEO of Pandium, speaks with Bani Malhotra, a seasoned product leader with experience at Walmart, Shipt, and Narvar. They discuss the complex realities of scaling products, leading through acquisition, and aligning teams around shared goals.Bani's Background and Product-Driven MindsetBani transitioned from investment banking and venture capital into product management. She has spent over a decade building and leading teams, including serving as the first product manager at Shipt during its $550M acquisition by Target. Her approach combines clear communication, deep context, and a strong focus on solving the right problems with the right metrics.Acquisition, Alignment, and Long-Term ThinkingAt Shipt, Bani led the integration of its same-day delivery platform into Target's ecosystem. The project involved technical re-architecture, stakeholder alignment, and careful cultural navigation. Bani and her team made early decisions to build a retailer-agnostic infrastructure, allowing for long-term flexibility while preserving the values of Shipt's marketplace.Building Trust Across Teams and CulturesBani shares her approach to leading cross-functional teams through major change. Her framework—credibility, communication, and context—helped her build trust across both Shipt and Target. From navigating concerns around cannibalization to advocating for shoppers on the ground, she focused on building alignment without compromising core principles.Using Metrics to Drive ClarityBani emphasizes the importance of grounding teams in clear, outcome-focused metrics. She shares lessons on defining success, phasing launches to reduce risk, and staying focused on quality over vanity KPIs. Metrics, she explains, can unify teams and reduce emotional friction in high-stakes environments.Leading with PrecisionThis episode offers practical insights for anyone leading through complexity, whether during M&A, product expansion, or organizational change. Bani's perspective on product leadership is execution-oriented, making this a valuable listen for product and partnership leaders at any stage of growth.For more insights on product, integrations, and SaaS ecosystems, visit www.pandium.com.

What does it take to challenge the convention and rebuild from scratch? Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani find out as they sit down with Sara Xi, CPO at Rubicon Carbon. Sara shares her journey leading product, engineering, and design to reshape the voluntary carbon market. From scrapping legacy platforms to scaling lean teams, Sara talks risk, trust, and mission-driven leadership.Hear her insights on empowering teams, taking smart risks, and building products that make climate impact—and business sense. An inspiring listen for rebels building bold solutions. 

Building great products is only half the battle—the other half is building them with marketing success baked in from Day One. Too many product teams operate in isolation, creating features customers don't understand or positioning that marketing can't sell.Heather Inocencio has cracked the code on building product teams that inherently understand marketing needs. With over 30 years of product experience, she's transformed organizations at companies like The RealReal (driving revenues from $100M to $400M leading to a $1.6B IPO) and Haute Look (scaling to 4M members and a $270M Nordstrom acquisition). Now founder of The Product Consult, she helps brands bridge the critical gap between product development and market success through embedded, hands-on product management that levels up entire organizations.Episode Highlights:Heather's journey from MCI Telecommunications to fractional CPO work (01:52)Why product management was misunderstood in the early 90s and the "German to French" translation role (02:30)The shift from enterprise to high-growth startups and common optimization gaps (03:45)How The Product Consult's embedded approach differs from traditional consulting (09:16)The three-part engagement process: assessment, integration, and successful exit (09:16)Identifying the right clients: transformation needs vs. just "butts in seats" (10:30)Building product-marketing integration from acquisition through engagement (19:15)Overcoming sales team resistance and breaking down departmental silos (23:16)The critical role of aligned success metrics across all departments (24:19)Product manager-company fit: matching disposition and communication styles (32:11)The relief factor: making work easier, not harder, through optimization (36:56)One action product leaders can take tomorrow: individual team assessment (36:56)The Product Consult: theproductconsult.com Graphos Product: GraphosProduct.com Buy "I Need That" and get Laurier's daily Need Feed emails: LMandin.com

In this future-facing episode, Josh Anderson and Bob Galen make the case that great product leadership is more important than ever—especially in a world of AI-driven development, vibe coding, and accelerating speed. They argue that no matter how fast you can build, if you're not building the right things for the right reasons, you're setting yourself up for failure.Josh shares lessons from his own real-time experience building a product with AI, discovering that clear context, product thinking, and human leadership remain the key unlocks for success. Together, they explore how to maximize the value of every line of code, why clarity is the real differentiator, and how product leadership is everyone's job—not just people with the title.

Want to know how top product leaders are navigating the AI revolution? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Microsoft Cloud for Industries General Manager Monica Ugwi will be speaking on the future of product management in the AI era. Monica shares her unique insights from working at tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, offering a deep dive into building empathetic, innovative products that truly count.

Join us on this episode of the Product Thinking Podcast as Oji and Ezinne, co-authors of "Building Rocketships: Product Management for High-Growth Companies”, discuss the pivotal role of Product Managers in the AI era. As they share insights from their experiences with innovation and product development, Oji and Ezinne explore how PMs must adapt to the rapidly evolving technological landscape to remain relevant.In this episode, they delve into the balance between customer focus and business needs, highlighting the significance of people, execution, leadership, and communication. Oji and Ezinne emphasize the need for PMs to lead conversations, advocate for solutions that address customer issues, and stay attuned to industry shifts.If you're eager to understand how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that AI presents to Product Management, don't miss out on these valuable insights!You'll hear us talk about:28:55 - Balancing Board Pressure and Long-Term VisionOji shares advice on managing the pressure from board members while maintaining the focus on long-term strategy and vision, a perennial challenge for product managers.40:12 - AI at the Core vs. the EdgeEzinne discusses the difference between companies that integrate AI at their core versus those that only sprinkle AI on top. Learn what it means to truly embed AI in your company's workflow and how to approach it strategically.49:38 - The Evolving Role of Product ManagersEzinne covers how the role of PMs is changing with AI's capabilities in areas like PRDs and data diagnostics, questioning whether AI will replace product managers or simply change the way they work.Episode resources:Oji on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/Ezinne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezinne/Building Rocketships: https://shop.damngravity.com/products/building-rocketships-udezue?variant=43588962779312Check our new course: https://productinstitute.com/p/mastering-product-strategy-overview

Sustainability buzzwords won't move the needle... and they sure aren't helping anyone. Growers need to be front and center in any conversation about the future of agriculture. Because, without growers, agriculture has no future. So in this episode, we're looking back at three conversations that really cut through the noise and surfaced some actionable sustainable agriculture insights. We'll talk with Curt Blades, the Senior Vice President of Industry Sectors and Product Leadership at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, about finding purpose in the industry's pivot toward sustainability. From Florida, we'll explore how one of North America's most diverse and challenging croplands is making huge strides in nutrient management with David Royal, the Florida Nutrient Stewardship Project Manager at the Nature Conservancy. And we'll learn how to support variable rate nutrient application through careful soil sampling and data collection from Brian Arnall, precision nutrient management extension specialist at Oklahoma State University.

Joshua Graves, founder of Lost Horse Labs and author of We Need to Talk, joins the show to unpack what happens when product leaders ignore hard conversations — and what it takes to build an environment where teams can truly thrive. Drawing from two decades in product design, civic tech, and leadership coaching, Joshua brings practical, deeply human guidance on navigating organizational tension, protecting team trust, and avoiding the trap of control disguised as process. From the neuroscience of conflict to the value of rituals and the art of disagreeing and committing, Joshua's insights are rooted in experience — not just theory. Whether you're a CEO, product leader, or just someone who wants to get better at the conversations that matter, this episode offers useful ideas for designing more human teams and more honest leadership. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why conflict avoidance is costly — and how to know when it's time to speak up What it really means to create psychological safety (and how to ritualize it) Understanding the brain's role in conflict, emotion, and reactivity The “compass vs. map” approach to navigating difficult conversations How to mediate conflict as a leader without becoming a dictator Using tools like user manuals and plus-deltas to personalize collaboration Building rituals without becoming dogmatic or overly process-driven When to assume positive intent — and when that's no longer productive What to do when you're facing manipulation, gaslighting, or loss of trust Why checking in with yourself can be the most powerful leadership too Mentioned in this episode Joshua'/s book - We Need to Talk: A Survival Guide for Tough Conversations. http://amazon.com/We-Need-Talk-Survival-Conversations/dp/1959029118/ref=sr_1_5  Lost Horse Labs – losthorse.design, e-mail hello at losthorse.design  Plus/Deltas as a feedback framework: https://blogs.vmware.com/tanzu/plus-delta-feedback/  Nonviolent communication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_Communication  Joshua's favourite maker tools - Glowforge - https://glowforge.com/  Joshua's favourite maker tools - XTool (screen printing tools) - https://www.xtool.com/  Joshua's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsjoshuagraves Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Most PMs still think velocity = impact. They're wrong. If no one on your team owns adoption, retention, or revenue—then growth isn't anyone's job. Jayson Robinson joins Convergence.fm to unpack why most product teams are built to ship—but not to grow. From leading growth at Toptal and BairesDev to advising SaaS companies and launching enterprise products at M&S, Jayson has seen where traditional product orgs fall apart—and what high-agency PMs actually do differently. We cover how to spot deadweight roles, when founders need to let go, and what happens when you hire people who are better at agile ceremonies than business outcomes. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why velocity without measurable outcomes is a red flag The critical differences between growth PMs and generalist PMs What high-agency PMs do that process-driven PMs can't replicate How to interview for ownership, not just experience The real reason “translator” PMs are getting phased out What happened when HP focused on output over market alignment How Duolingo's growth org became its engine of compounding retention Why founders who don't let go end up being the ceiling Lessons from Netflix, Shopify, and Linear on org design that scales   Mentioned in this episode The HP Way by David Packard — Buy the book Duolingo's Growth Strategy — Lenny Rachitsky breakdown Shopify Product Leadership — First Round article Linear's Product Development Approach — Read on Linear's blog High Agency Hiring — Michael Dearing on First Round Jayson's blog post on the future of PM roles: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaysonkrobinson_the-product-manager-role-is-speciating-activity-7315760215277121536-1LcF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGxt90BvpkwcznT5WbhfSl0aK9PPNhWLy4 Mind the product talk by ElevenLabs and build measure learn cycle  Jason's Linkedin profile  Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with Mike Curti, a recently hired product leader, and Joshua Herzig-Marx, a trusted advisor to early-stage startups and product teams. Together, they unpack one of the most mission-critical and misunderstood topics in product leadership: hiring.They break down what's broken in today's interview processes, especially for product roles and why simply copying Big Tech often leads to poor outcomes. Josh shares lessons from working with founders on their first PM hire, while Mike reflects on his own job search and why structure, calibration and interviewer training are essential.If you're hiring your first PM or your 100th, this episode is full of practical advice to help you sharpen your process, catch bias early and avoid costly mis-hires.grows.All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox

Most companies have a mission statement. But few are truly mission-driven in practice. In this episode, Jason Fraser joins Ashok to unpack what it actually means to prioritize mission over profit — and how the best organizations are able to do both. Jason reflects on the differences between performative mission language and the kind of operational decision-making that aligns tightly with purpose. He shares the concept of “mission ratios” and how teams can use them to identify where they're constrained, where they have leverage, and how to get disproportionate outcomes from limited inputs. Drawing on examples from Patagonia, World Central Kitchen, and a federal asylum processing team, Jason walks through the tools and frameworks that mission-first leaders can use to improve focus, clarity, and measurable impact. Whether you're running a nonprofit, a B Corp, or just trying to do more meaningful work, this episode gives you language and direction to guide your team's decisions. Plus, Jason shares how to spot the ratios that matter most — and what to do once you find them. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... What really defines a mission-driven organization Mission vs. permission work: how to make trade-offs without guilt Why purpose can actually boost profitability and team alignment Introducing “mission ratios”: the unit economics of social impact Frameworks for identifying your most limiting constraints How to apply the impact mapping tool to optimize outcomes Lessons from World Central Kitchen, Earthshot Prize, and a USCIS case study Tractability vs. leverage: how to prioritize what's actually solvable The hidden assumptions that reduce efficiency and how to challenge them How organizations can operationalize ethics without compromising viability Mentioned in this episode Jason and Janice's book, Farther, Faster, Way Less Drama  Jason's workshops and events: https://missionratio.com/events/ Jason's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfraser World Central Kitchen Patagonia CERO Bikes The Earthshot Prize  Climatebase Fellowship Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt Impact Mapping by Gojko Adzic Deloitte Study Target versus Costco  Value Chain  Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Who coaches PMs if Directors or CPOs don't understand how features get built? ...or don't understand how to build a strategy?Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we analyze Ravi Mehta's PM competency framework and debate which skills actually matter at each level of product management!#ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategyREFERENCES"How to Become a Peak Product Manager" by Ravi Mehta: https://www.ravi-mehta.com/product-manager-skills/= = = = = = = = = = = =LINKS Arguing Agile: http://arguingagile.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/d9byEWuGbBoSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596= = = = = = = = = = = =Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Ready to dive in to the future of product management? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Pendo CPO Trisha Price speaks on transforming product leadership in the AI era. She shares her unique insights on how product teams can drive business outcomes, leverage AI tools, and maintain a customer-focused culture while navigating rapid technological change.

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with Melissa Perri, author of Escaping the Build Trap and one of the world's leading product strategy experts. Melissa shares lessons from advising CEOs, founders, and product leaders on how to build strategy that works, scale from VP to CPO, and navigate the often tricky dynamic between founder-CEOs and product leaders. They also explore how AI is shifting product management and why the fundamentals still matter more than ever. Whether you're a founder, product leader, or operator, this conversation is packed with practical advice on how to step up as your company grows.All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox

"Now, some people are only ever going to want to use WhatsApp to message the people in their life, and they should be able to carry on doing that and have an incredibly simple experience in doing so. But we're increasingly seeing that users want to use WhatsApp for more than messaging close friends and family. It's why we're doing things like business messaging. It's why we built new features like channels and status and updates tab separate from your personal chats. We think that if we carry on getting the core of private messaging right, it also gives us the opportunity to build more of these features that users want." - Alice Newton-Rex Fresh out of the studio, Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President and Head of Product at WhatsApp, joins us to explore how the messaging platform balances innovation with privacy for over 3 billion users worldwide. In the conversation, Alice explained WhatsApp's three guiding principles: simple, reliable, and private. She emphasized that the features they say "no" to are often more important than those they approve, highlighting how WhatsApp has evolved beyond personal messaging to include business services that serve over 200 million businesses globally and balancing innovation with trust on how Meta AI is integrated into the platform. Last but not least, Alice describes what great would look like for WhatsApp continuing to be the most private way for people to communicate while maintaining simplicity and reliability at global scale. Episode Highlights: [00:00] Quote of the Day by Alice Newton-Rex, VP & Head of Product, WhatsApp [01:34] Alice's Career Journey from Classics to WhatsApp. [04:32] WhatsApp's three core principles: simple, reliable, and private. [06:43] Best product decisions: knowing when to say "no". [09:43] Mobile-first strategy shapes WhatsApp's business model. [11:21] Small businesses use WhatsApp extensively in emerging economies. [13:58] WhatsApp Business ecosystem reaches 200 million users globally. [16:02] End-to-end encryption forms foundation of WhatsApp's privacy commitment. [18:38] Features keep core experience simple while adding optional functionalities. [21:18] User trust prioritized over speed of iteration. [24:32] Messaging will be how most people interact with AI. [26:40] AI features: optional, visually distinct, with clear user control. [32:53] Privacy enables authenticity in everyday communication. [34:13] Future WhatsApp: keeping simple, reliable, private communication for billions. [35:35] Closing. Profile: Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President & Head of Product, WhatsApp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-newton-rex-4713191a/ Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast. Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with Troy Sultan, co-founder and CEO of Guide, to unpack the state of job searching and recruiting in the AI era.Troy shares a compelling behind-the-scenes look at what's really going on inside recruiting teams today—and why the typical candidate experience is often so broken. He also explains how AI and modern tooling are reshaping hiring in real-time, helping teams scale quality and efficiency without sacrificing humanity.They also dive into how job seekers can regain power in the process by getting crystal clear on what they want, leading with authenticity, and treating interviews like two-way conversations. Whether you're currently on the job market or hiring for your team, this episode is packed with insight on how to play the game better—from both sides.All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox

Are you ready to learn how a media product leader transforms digital experiences? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Yahoo SVP and GM Kat Downs Mulder shares her journey from digital journalism to product leadership. Kat will dive deep into her experiences at Washington Post and Yahoo, revealing how product strategy drives business transformation and creates compelling user experiences in the fast-evolving digital media landscape.

An interview with Marty Cagan kicks off our new series, The Coach's Playbook. He shares with Cassie his take on coaching, doing it right and elevating the product practice.

Are you ready to discover how AI is revolutionizing product management? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Salesforce President and Chief Product Officer David Schmaier will be speaking on the transformative potential of AI in enterprise software. David shares groundbreaking insights from Salesforce's AI journey, revealing how generative AI is reshaping customer experiences and product development at unprecedented speeds.

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with Sanket Kavishwar, Director of Product at Relyance AI. Sanket is one of the most active members in Supra's AI workflows Slack channel, and in this episode, we explore how he's transforming his company's product development process with AI prototyping tools like V0.We dive into how Relyance AI shifted from traditional PRDs to problem statements and interactive prototypes, dramatically accelerating iteration speed, improving customer feedback loops, and empowering PMs to communicate ideas visually without waiting on design resources. Sanket also shares practical advice for introducing AI prototyping into your company - no matter the size, and how it can unlock faster cross-functional collaboration across product, engineering, and go-to-market teams.If you're a PM, designer, or founder looking for ways to make your product development cycles faster, sharper, and more collaborative, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can apply today.All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox

This episode is the introduction to a new series - The Coach's Playbook. In this episode we introduce the series, why now is the time to learn more about product coaching and who we will be interviewing as a part of this series.

Are you curious how AI and innovation are reshaping the role of Chief Product Officers? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Capgemini Executive Vice President Jean-Claude Viollier shares groundbreaking insights on transforming product leadership in the AI era. Learn how top CPOs are elevating their strategies, driving innovation, and becoming key business orchestrators in an era of rapid technological change.

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben sat down with Will Newton, Principal Product Architect at Amplitude—and one of our most popular past guests—for a follow-up conversation on the fast-evolving world of AI tooling in product design and development.In just a few weeks since our last chat, Amplitude has gone from early AI experimentation to giving Bolt licenses to every designer. Will takes us inside this transition and breaks down how AI is changing design workflows, redefining prototyping, and collapsing traditional linear product development.We also get deep on the concept of taste—what it means to produce high-quality work in a world where the UI layer is increasingly commoditized. Plus, a live Bolt demo, the hidden risks of lazy thinking with AI, and why the future belongs to generalists with strong judgment and taste.If you're a PM, designer, or product leader trying to make sense of the new AI-powered stack, this one's for you.All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox

In this episode, Eilon Reshef, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Gong, joins Melissa Perri to discuss the transformative power of AI-driven technology in sales and product management.As Gong revolutionizes the sales industry, Eilon shares insights into building tools that empower salespeople and help them succeed. He dives into the challenges of scaling Gong to $100 million in ARR and the crucial role of focusing on end-user value.Eilon delves into how Gong captures and analyzes sales conversations to help teams close deals faster and increase revenue. He also reveals the unique organizational structure at Gong and the importance of design partners in their product development process.Want to discover how to harness AI to improve your sales processes and drive significant growth? Tune in to gain actionable insights from Eilon's experience at Gong.You'll hear us talk about:10:31 - Prioritizing Seller-Centric ValueEilon discusses the importance of emphasizing value for the end user, the salespeople, rather than just delivering organizational value. This approach has been critical to Gong's success, helping build a product that sales teams love and rely on.13:50 - Implementing a Customer-Centric StructureLearn about Gong's unique pod structure, where product managers work closely with numerous design partners to receive continuous feedback and refine the product. This approach ensures that customer needs are always at the forefront.26:54 - Embracing AI in Product ManagementEilon provides advice for product managers on how to integrate AI into their work. He emphasizes the need to practice and understand AI capabilities to effectively incorporate them into product offerings.Episode resources:Eilon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eilonreshef/More about Gong: https://www.gong.io/Work at Gong: https://www.gong.io/careers/Liveblocks: https://liveblocks.io/Timestamps:00:00 Coming Up00:47 Intro02:51 Dear Melissa06:34 Eilon's Intro & Gong's Founding Story10:31 Empowering Sales & Key Lessons22:08 Vision for AI & Its Impact on Sales31:41 Working with Design Partners & Beta Testing42:03 Reflections on Product Leadership

In this episode, Carlos González interviews Tanya Cordrey, Chief Product Officer at Motorway, the UK's fastest-growing used car marketplace.Motorway is revolutionizing the used car industry in the UK, with a gross market value of $2.5 billion per year and over half a million people selling their cars through their network. Founded recently, Motorway has quickly become a digital powerhouse, offering both sellers and dealers innovative ways to engage in the used car market.Tanya leads product experience and strategy for Motorway's digital portfolio, including their marketplace platform that connects individual car sellers with professional car dealers. Prior to Motorway, Tanya held leadership positions at Instagram, eBay, and The Guardian, bringing a wealth of experience in scaling digital products and marketplaces.In this episode, we'll explore the challenges of building a C2B marketplace, how Tanya and her team are leveraging technology to deliver excellent experiences for both sellers and dealers, and the future of automotive technology. We'll discuss features such as AI-assisted photo uploads, weather-based reminders, and end-to-end solutions for dealers, all designed to streamline the car selling and buying process.What you'll learn:- Tanya's journey to becoming CPO at Motorway and her insights on building global product teams.- The challenges and strategies involved in creating a C2B marketplace in the used car industry.- How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, two-sided marketplace environment.- The future of automotive technology, including AI-assisted processes and marketplace efficiencies.Key Takeaways:- Marketplace Efficiency: Tanya emphasizes the importance of understanding and optimizing both sides of the marketplace to create value for sellers and dealers.- Innovative User Experiences: Motorway is pushing boundaries with features like AI Image Assist and weather-based reminders to reduce friction in the car selling process.- Data-Driven Product Development: Tanya highlights the use of specific KPIs and user behavior analysis to guide product decisions and improvements, focusing on key moments in the user journey.Social Links:- Follow our Podcast on Tik Tok here- Follow Product School on LinkedIn here- Join Product School's free events here - Find out more about Product School hereCredits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Tanya Cordrey

Global Agile Summit Preview: Unifying Strategy, Discovery, and Delivery in Product Development With Roman Pichler In this BONUS Global Agile Summit preview episode, we explore a crucial topic that's shaping how we approach product development—sometimes in ways that serve us well and sometimes in ways that hold us back.  There's a growing trend in our industry to explicitly separate strategy, discovery, and delivery into distinct activities or even different teams. On the surface, this seems logical: strategy decides the right thing to do, discovery figures out how to do it, and delivery gets it done. But is this division actually helping us? Or is it creating barriers that make great product development harder? The Origins of Product Discovery "I think it's partly based, at least on Marty Cagan's work, and his insight that many teams are very much focused traditionally on delivering outputs, on writing code. And I think his original intention was to say, 'Let's not worry about creating outputs. Let's also make sure that what we creating makes sense.'" Roman Pichler shares insights on how the concept of product discovery emerged as a reaction to teams being overly focused on outputs rather than outcomes. He explains that conceptually distinguishing between product strategy, discovery, and delivery can be helpful—much like organizing clothes into different sections of a wardrobe. However, in reality, these activities must be connected, informing and guiding each other rather than existing as sequential steps. The Risks of Separating Product Strategy, from Discovery, and from Delivery "If we have a group of people who takes care of strategic decisions, a different group focusing on product discovery, and another group—the tech team—who focuses on product delivery, and those groups don't talk as much as they could and should do, then suddenly we have a sequential process and handoffs." One of the primary challenges with separating strategy, discovery, and delivery is the risk of creating handoffs between different teams. Roman highlights how this sequential approach can slow down value creation, lead to knowledge loss, and increase the likelihood of introducing mistakes. This separation can create barriers that ultimately make product development more difficult and less effective. In this segment, we refer to the podcast interview with Tim Herbig on the concept of Lateral Leadership, and how that is critical for product people. Integrating the Work Streams "What I usually use as a visualization tool is three work streams: a strategy work stream, a discovery work stream, and a delivery work stream. The strategy stream guides the discovery stream. The discovery stream guides the delivery stream, and then the delivery stream informs the discovery stream, and the discovery stream informs the strategy stream." Rather than seeing strategy, discovery, and delivery as separate phases, Roman suggests visualizing them as parallel work streams that continuously inform and guide each other.  This approach recognizes that strategy work doesn't just happen at the beginning—it continues throughout the product lifecycle, adapting as the product evolves. By integrating these work streams and ensuring they're interconnected through feedback loops, teams can create a more cohesive and effective product development process. The Power of Collaboration "The important thing is to make sure that the different areas of work are not disjointed but interlinked. A key element to make that work is to use collaboration and teamwork and ensure that there aren't any handoffs, or avoid handoffs as much as possible." Collaboration and teamwork are essential to successfully integrating strategy, discovery, and delivery. Roman emphasizes the importance of bringing product people—who understand customer needs, business models, and stakeholder relationships—together with tech teams to foster innovation and create value. This collaborative approach helps overcome the challenges that arise from treating these activities as separate, sequential steps. Building an Extended Product Team "Form a big product team, a product team that is empowered to make strategic decisions and consists not only of the person in charge of the product and maybe a UX designer and a software developer, but also key business stakeholders, maybe somebody from marketing, maybe somebody from sales, maybe a support team member." Roman advocates for forming an extended product team that includes not just product managers, designers, and developers, but also key business stakeholders. This larger team can collectively own the product strategy and have holistic ownership of the product—not just focusing on discovery or delivery. By empowering this extended team to make strategic decisions together, organizations can ensure that different perspectives and expertise inform the product development process. Practical Implementation: Bringing it all Together "Have regular meetings. A specific recommendation that I like to make is to have quarterly strategy workshops as a rule of thumb, where the current product strategy is reviewed and adjusted, but also the current product roadmap is reviewed and adapted." Implementing this integrated approach requires practical mechanisms for collaboration. Roman recommends holding quarterly strategy workshops to review and adjust the product strategy and roadmap, ensuring they stay in sync with insights from development work. Additionally, he suggests that members of the extended product team should attend monthly operational meetings, such as sprint reviews, to maintain a complete understanding of what's happening with the product at both strategic and tactical levels. Moving Beyond Sequential Thinking "Unfortunately, our software industry has a tendency to make things structured, linear, and assign ownership of different phases to different people. This usually leads to bigger problems like missing information, problems discovered too late that affect 'strategy', but need to be addressed in 'delivery'." One of the challenges in adopting a more integrated approach is overcoming the industry's tendency toward linear, sequential thinking. Roman and Vasco discuss how this mindset can lead to issues being discovered too late in the process, after strategic decisions have already been made. By embracing a more iterative, interconnected approach, teams can address problems more effectively and adapt their strategy based on insights from discovery and delivery. About Roman Pichler Roman Pichler is a leading product management expert specializing in product strategy, leadership, and agility. With nearly 20 years of experience, he has coached product managers, authored four books, and developed popular frameworks. He shares insights through his blog, podcast, and YouTube channel and speaks at major industry conferences worldwide. You can link with Roman Pichler on LinkedIn and check out the resources on Roman Pichler's website.

The most valuable asset in business today isn't technology — it's data. Those who control it, refine it and protect it will dominate their industries. SC Moatti, Managing Partner of Mighty Capital, shares insights on the evolving role of product managers, the impact of AI on product development and how businesses can leverage data to drive innovation and market leadership.Specifically, SC discusses:(2:50) Mighty Capital invests in top startups and connects them with 500,000 product managers.(5:08) Most waves of innovation, from the mobile era to AI and Web3, start with the same type of problem.(10:25) AI is reshaping patents and copyright laws, but machines will never own intellectual property.(11:58) Are we at a Napster moment with AI and how will it reshape business models?(16:04) Product managers will use AI agents to streamline work and decision-making.(20:05) Why product managers are now at the center of the data revolution.(24:17 The future of onboarding and why the best experience may require no onboarding at all.(32:15) The risks and opportunities AI presents in intellectual property, ownership and industry disruption.(37:08) The rising trend of AI-native companies and their capital-efficient business models.(40:12) The future of product managers is changing fast, with more growth ahead.Resources Mentioned: SC Moatti -https://www.linkedin.com/in/scmoatti/Mighty Capital | LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/mighty-capital/Mighty Capital | Website -https://mighty.capitalProducts That Count -https://www.productsthatcount.orgAmplitude -https://amplitude.comThis episode is brought to you by:Leverage community-led growth to skyrocket your business. From Grassroots to Greatness by author Lloyed Lobo will help you master 13 game-changing rules from some of the most iconic brands in the world — like Apple, Atlassian, CrossFit, Harley-Davidson, HubSpot, Red Bull and many more — to attract superfans of your own that will propel you to new heights. Grab your copy today at FromGrassrootsToGreatness.comEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don't get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com#ProductManagement #TechInnovation #DataDriven #Product #Marketing #Innovation #StartUp #GenerativeAI #AI

In this episode, I welcome Fabio Brocca, Chief Product Officer at Xeneta, to discuss how product managers can effectively balance the urgency of product development with the need for strategic perfection.Drawing from his extensive experience at Amazon and MSC, Fabio provides a unique take on the importance of swift iteration and execution in the fast-paced world of product management. We explore how real-time feedback can drive innovation and refine strategies without waiting for the elusive perfect plan.Eager to understand how you can apply these insights to enhance your product processes? Join us for a deep dive into Fabio's strategies and experiences in transforming the freight industry with agility and precision.You'll hear us talk about:12:45 - Adapting Strategies Through Feedback LoopsFabio discusses the significance of using real-time feedback to adapt and refine product strategies. He elaborates on the agility required to iterate based on customer interactions and feedback, which is crucial for any product manager aiming to remain relevant in dynamic markets.23:05 - The Balance of Speed and Quality in Product LaunchesWe dive into the challenge of maintaining quality while prioritizing speed in product launches. Fabio shares his approach to managing expectations and aligning team efforts towards effective execution without sacrificing the end-user experience.36:18 - Leadership in Fast-paced Product EnvironmentsFabio offers insights into leading product teams in high-pressure environments. He emphasizes the role of leadership in fostering a culture that embraces change and supports rapid iteration, ensuring teams are equipped to handle the demands of fast-paced product management.Episode Resources:Fabio on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiobrocca/Michele on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelesancricca/Paul on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkinglux/Reel Saber:www.reelsaber.comSign up for a free Liveblocks account: ⁠https://liveblocks.io/⁠Tune in and gain practical strategies to enhance your product management techniques from one of the leading voices in the industry.Timestamps:00:00 Episode Preview00:59 Intro03:19 Dear Melissa09:22 Fabio's Path to Product Management14:32 Early Challenges as a First-Time CPO24:47 Scaling from Amazon to a Growth-Stage Company30:38 Big Tech vs. Scale-Up38:28 Tackling Freight Industry Challenges42:48 Thriving in Less Glamorous Fields46:26 Fabio's Leadership Philosophy

Brian Tolkin is the Head of Product @ Opendoor where he has spent the last 6 years and is responsible for product strategy and product and design teams. Before Opendoor, Brian spent an incredible 5 years at Uber through their wildest growth periods. In Today's Episode with Brian Tolkin: 03:53 Brian's Journey at Uber: Launching China Pool 05:07 Product Lessons from Uber's China Launch 08:22 The Role of a PM in a Pre vs. Post AI World 10:16 Product Development Process in an AI World 17:43 The Importance of Simplification in Product Management 19:21 OKRs and Prioritization in Product Management 23:12 The Importance of Feedback Loops in Product Development 23:38 Evaluating Product Changes: User Adaptation vs. Bad Decisions 25:00 Balancing Gut Instinct and Data in Product Leadership 25:38 The Role of Simplicity in Product Design 27:02 Consensus vs. Dictatorial Product Leadership 27:54 Hiring for the Best Product Teams 31:33 How to do Effective Sprint Management 38:39 Quickfire Round: Insights and Advice