Smart Use of Principles

Principles are a very powerful tool in product leadership. They can help you create clarity and alignment, and separate the wheat from the chaff. Here are a few ways to use them in your everyday tasks, and some cases where they are not the right tool.

When the CEO Has a New Product Idea

CEOs have product ideas all the time. It’s a legitimate component of their ability to lead. But how can you lead the product if the CEO gives very specific guidance? The answer lies in making yourself their thinking buddy. Here is how to do it.

Are You Bounded by Authority?

Everyone treats authority differently. Some of it is cultural, and some of it is personal, but how you treat authority impacts your ability to lead. Especially in product management, where authority is limited, you need to act beyond the limits of formality. Here is how.

The Value Assessment Framework (Part 3)

The value assessment framework allows you to identify gaps in any of the value layers – definition, delivery, and perception. But not all gaps are alike, and not all of them need to be treated the same way. Some even need to be left untouched. Here is a guide on how to tell the difference and how to address each.

The Value Assessment Framework (Part 2)

Your product’s value needs to be defined, delivered, and perceived as such by your customers. If this isn’t challenging enough, what your customers want and need varies based on their profile and maturity with your product. Here is a simple framework to help you understand what they need, and more importantly – where are your current gaps.

The Power of Summaries

Product leadership is such a hard role, one of the hardest. You live at the heart of endless conflicts caused by a variety of points of view that collide with each other. You are involved in complex decision-making under extreme uncertainty. Here is a simple tool that will help you shine and help others along the way.

Reality Isn’t Always What You Want It to Be

Nobody likes bad news. But what happens if this is the reality? Realizing it is one thing, and a more important thing is to accept it as it is and then act to change it while you can. You can’t change the reality of today, but you can change tomorrow. Here is a quick guide to get you going.

4 Fundamental Mistakes You Are Making With Product OKRs

OKRs are an amazing tool to drive business success. Starting with OKRs is easy. Doing it right is not necessarily so, especially with product OKRs that are a unique beast. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid.

6 Types of Competition That You Must Be Aware Of

Sometimes your competitors are not the usual suspects. They might not be the products that appear exactly in your category, and honestly, they might not be products at all. Here are six categories of competition that you must be aware of.

Leadership Without Authority on Steroids

Leadership without authority is product management 101. You must master it to succeed, in most cases with developers. But as a product executive, you must take it to the next level – and this time use it with the entire management team.

How to Create Magical Products and Truly Solve Your Customers’ Problems

Real invention is hard, that’s why real innovation is hard. Evolution is much easier than revolution. But to truly solve customers’ problems, founders and product leaders must think beyond what they already know about the product. Here are 3 methods to do so.

Do Your Customers Really Want to Pay Less?

We all want maximum value for minimum effort or cost. But which one is more important? In times of an economic downturn, it is very tempting to offer less for lower prices. But is it really what your customers want? Here’s how to look at it in order to make the right decision for your customers.