PRODUCTHEAD: The anatomy of a ‘no’
» 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
Tag: stakeholders
PRODUCTHEAD: Increasing and diminishing influence
» 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
PRODUCTHEAD: The science of stakeholder persuasion
» Bare facts by themselves are not persuasive; they must be “storified” in a way that triggers people’s sense of self
» A smaller initial ask can increase the likelihood of agreement to a larger, related ask
PRODUCTHEAD: Pragmatism versus idealism
» There’s a balance between motivating people to a goal and killing their enthusiasm with the gory detail
» Just as with users and customers, we need to meet our peers where they are
» In most complex organisations, product supports the organisation’s goals, not vice versa
PRODUCTHEAD: People problems and solutions
» 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
Navigating your product management career
Ross Webb and I have been chatting about product management career progression.
We cover topics including:
» Thinking of visibility as a strategic competency, not self-promotion
» Controlling your narrative through regular updates
and more!
DevRel and Product Management with Jock Busuttil on the Voxgig podcast
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 :-)
PRODUCTHEAD: In a flat spin from a failed product launch
» Sonos is working through a major user backlash after launching a flawed app
» Pressure from senior management forced the launch to happen before it was ready
» Tips for recognising and managing tension as a product manager
» Round-up of lessons learned from failed product launches
PRODUCTHEAD: Spheres of influence and buy-in
» The only thing you can truly control in life is yourself
» Securing buy-in is meaningless if you let people go back on their agreement without challenge
PRODUCTHEAD: Context changes everything
» 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
