PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership 109: Larry Robinson - How Instincts Outsmart Data in Product Leadership
Jun 1, 2025
Larry Robinson, CPO of BrightPlan and a Salesforce veteran, shares insights on product leadership by balancing instinct with data. He argues for hiring based on gut feelings rather than lengthy interviews, and emphasizes that prototypes should ignite emotional responses. Robinson believes in positioning products as transformative tools, prioritizing simplicity in budgeting over complex metrics. His hot takes challenge conventional wisdom, suggesting that if your prototype doesn’t capture attention in minutes, it’s time to rethink.
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Blend Data with Instinct
- Larry Robinson emphasizes the importance of blending data with personal instinct in product management.
- Developing and trusting creative instincts serves product managers better than purely data-driven approaches.
Trust Gut in Hiring Quickly
- Use presentation-based interviews to quickly gauge a candidate's fit by observing their storytelling and adaptability.
- Trust your gut feelings within the first five minutes of such interviews to identify strong hires.
Hire Clearly, Learn from Mistakes
- Clearly communicate role success criteria to candidates so they can self-select in or out.
- If hires don't align, part ways sensitively and learn to trust your initial instincts more.
