Let them talk

I had a great opportunity to listen to Larry Weber, author of Marketing to the Social Web, who gave a keynote address at the SMP Conference last Thursday. He talked about a lot of great things including his insights on the history of the Internet, starting with different phases and technologies that have impacted its [...]

Five factors of leadership

I’ve stated before that product managers have to be leaders (in the true sense of the word) because they have the responsibility on their shoulders to get products out the door on time, with high quality and under budget. The kicker – and the reason they must be leaders – is the people they rely [...]

When the game is on the line

I just finished watching the end of an NBA playoff game. The home team was ahead but the losing ground. I watched the leader of the team (a point guard) take over, make the plays and win the game. He made a few mistakes (missed two free throws) but ultimately did what he needed to [...]

Crucial Conversations

In many situations, especially when it comes to leadership, what we say can make or break the outcome. Such is the premise of the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when the stakes are high. What we say, and the way we conduct ourselves at certain, critical times determine our success or lack thereof.
Crucial Conversations [...]

Three reasons to visit customers

It goes without saying that professionals—in any industry—want to understand the market in which they sell, and the people who are buying their products or services. They want to know what drives business.
This idea comes up quite often, especially among product managers. In a recent post about hiding behind personas, Steve Johnson poses the following [...]

Fire, aim, ready

I listened to a great podcast today on Dr. Paul’s Live on Purpose Radio podcast series. He interviewed Shaye Larsen, the founder of IdeaOrbit.com. They discussed a lot of cool things, but the thing that impressed me the most was Shaye’s description of and discussion about the concept of “fire, aim, ready.” We are all [...]

Developing a climate of trust

During the last few weeks it seems like the number of newspaper articles and blog postings regarding trust and authenticity have jumped significantly. Perhaps it’s because we (in the USA) are in the midst of political primary season or perhaps it’s just that I’m noticing things I overlooked before. Phil Meyers has a great post [...]

Go fast or go far?

I recently read an African proverb that says: “If you want to go fast, travel alone, but if you want to go far, travel together.” This applies nicely to many jobs, roles and professions. I like how it applies to product management. We can do things ourselves and get them done quickly or we can [...]

Trust is vital

In my experience working as a product manager I have learned that gaining and keeping the trust of the teams you work with is vital not only to the success of the product but also to your personal success. Product managers (and leaders in general) gain the trust of their teams by rolling up their [...]