» With AI, shipping a product is not ‘done’, it’s the start of testing whether its behaviour is acceptable
» Staff-facing products are about tasks, decisions and protection
» Operating models are shifting because of AI; during the transition communication and collaboration need to change
» Avoid ambiguity by speaking plainly
» Bring the data, not the verdict
» Articulate the cost and opportunity cost
» A ‘yes’ is only worth something if a ‘no’ is worth something
» The art of influence is the highest-leverage skill remaining for product leaders
» AI agents require the same strategic clarity as humans do
» Building fast necessitates more human selectivity and expert judgement
» Product-market fit is more elusive than ever in a dynamic market
» In deep-tech companies, it’s unrealistic to compete with your team on technical knowledge
» ‘Financial theatre’ occurs when the Board and product leadership aren’t communicating effectively
» There is room for both concrete and abstract thinking
» AI may help you ship faster, but validating what you shipped still takes time
» In large complex organisations, transparent, written communication helps to avoid misinterpretation
» A strategy is just a wishlist if you never actually follow through on a decision
» There may be multiple ‘truths’ about the work depending on how different people frame it
» Different groups of people will adopt strategy in stages, and have differing information needs
» Fostering collaboration is the necessary first step for an organisation to work with more agility
» A prototype expresses a product concept far better and quicker than a product requirements document (PRD)
» People good at doing a thing themselves are not always good at building a system to do it
» Work is craft: theoretical knowledge and practical experience combined
» Conflict in product management is unavoidable
» Some conflict is actually desirable and healthy
» You can learn to assess and manage conflicts more constructively
I’m chatting with Voxgig’s Richard Rodger about common challenges in product management and DevRel:
» Why learning by soundbite gives a superficial understanding of the craft
» Why we’re finding it hard to communicate value to our bosses
+ more :-)
» At C-level, focus more on “what’s in it for you” and less on “here’s what I need”
» Get your strategy, priorities, risk-taking heuristics, and goals straight, and treat allocation as a hypothesis
