Product Agility Radhika Dutt: From Goals to Puzzles: A Different Way to Lead Product Teams - Productized 2025 TalkInTen
Nov 11, 2025
Radhika Dutt, a seasoned product thinker and practitioner, advocates for transforming the way product teams operate by shifting from rigid goal-setting to curiosity-led puzzle-solving. She discusses why framing work as puzzles boosts engagement and reduces the burden of traditional metrics. Radhika highlights the limits of measurable goals and introduces a practical three-question approach to encourage iteration. She also shares insights from her forthcoming book and invites contributions to her OHLS toolkit, fostering a community focused on real learning and transparency.
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Puzzles Ignite Curiosity And Motivation
- Framing work as puzzles invites curiosity and internal drive instead of burden and compliance.
- Radhika Dutt finds people feel curious and energised by puzzles versus frustrated by rigid goals.
Workshop Revealed Universal Reactions
- Radhika ran a workshop where attendees reported puzzles felt internally driven while goals felt imposed.
- Participants consistently described goals as burdening and puzzles as energising and curious.
Goals Create An Illusion Of Progress
- Goals create an illusion of progress because teams game metrics to look good rather than surface real problems.
- Puzzle language encourages transparency and detective work to find the true issues worth solving.