Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators

In conversation with Uma Subramanian, a seasoned tech leader and executive coach, listeners delve into the essential identity shift required for effective leadership. Uma introduces her SOAR framework, focusing on strategic impact and outstanding communication. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling for conveying your value and building a personal brand that resonates. Key strategies include cultivating genuine relationships and developing niche expertise to enhance authority. With insights drawn from her time at Microsoft, Uma provides a roadmap for future leaders in tech.

Practical strategies for building influence and confidence from a Product VP coach Watch on YouTube TLDR In this episode, I talk with Rebecca Arora, founder of Access Alignment, executive coach, and author of Somatic Intelligence, about making the transition from successful product manager or director to VP of Product and beyond. Rebecca shares practical strategies for this professional transition, including the need to shift from domain expertise to people leadership, the importance of relationship mapping, communication skills, and strategic thinking. She offers advice on handling stress, leveraging self-awareness, and using coaching techniques to empower teams. We also explore how to set yourself up for success in the first 90 days of a new leadership role. Introduction Let’s say you’re a product manager, you have done outstanding work, and you’re getting promoted to Product VP. Congratulations! The excitement lasts about 24 hours before reality hits. Suddenly you’re responsible for product strategy, team leadership, board presentations, and influencing executives. The skills that made you successful as an individual contributor won’t be enough to make you successful as a Product VP. How do you make this transition? Many of the Product VPs I have talked with use a professional coach to help them move from doing product management work to leading the people who do the work. Our guest today is one of those coaches who has helped several Product VPs. From this episode, you’ll learn practical steps to take for making a similar transition from individual contributor to leader, setting yourself up for long-term success.  Our guest is Rebecca Arora, founder of Access Alignment and author of Somatic Intelligence. Rebecca has a unique background – she was a Co-Founder and the first Product Leader at Mode Media, which scaled to become the #1 lifestyle digital media company. She also contributed to product strategy at Oracle. For the past 16 years, she’s been coaching C-suite leaders and top execs in all functions (including Product). Rebecca’s clients work at exceptional companies such as Google, Salesforce, IDEO, Pinterest, Blue Shield of California, Accenture, and many more. Her book, Somatic Intelligence, helps leaders align head, heart, and body to lead with awareness, confidence, and clarity.  Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Leader:Rebecca describes the challenges facing newly promoted Product VPs, noting the skills that made you a great product manager may not be sufficient as a senior leader. The key leap is shifting your mindset from being an expert to becoming more of a coach and empowering others. The Company as Your Product:As you move up, your sphere of influence expands. Rebecca encourages leaders to think of the company and entire industry as their “product,” applying product management skills to relationships, organizations, and strategy, not just the features you build. Overcoming the Expert Trap:Product leaders can struggle with letting go of being the domain expert and instead fostering empowerment and growth in others. Rebecca advises asking open-ended coaching questions and making space for your team to experiment—even if they do things differently from how you would. Relationship Mapping and Communication:Building new relationships is a priority. Rebecca suggests creating a relationship map to identify stakeholders and potential influencers, addressing conflicts, and strengthening weak connections. Top product leaders may leverage communication coaching to refine their tone and message delivery. Self-Awareness and Blind Spots:While developing your own self-awareness, simultaneously encourage self-awareness from your team. Rebecca advocates for collecting feedback, self-assessment, and being aware of personality differences within a team. She highlights the value of recognizing your blind spots and understanding that not everyone is motivated or learns the same way you do. You cannot always guide people the way you want to be guided. 360-degree Feedback:Product leaders can get 360-degree feedback by interviewing their boss, direct reports, peers, and other stakeholders and ask them, “What are my strengths?” and “What could I improve upon?” First 90 Days in a Product Leadership Role:Rebecca’s advice is to go on a listening tour—ask lots of questions and be curious. Apply user research principles to understanding the organization. Prioritize relationship-building at all levels. Hone your strategic, long-range industry viewpoint. Managing Stress and Personal Growth:The transition to senior leadership is stressful and can feel isolating. Rebecca shares practical tips: slow down (“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”), lean back to get perspective on challenges, smile more, and use humor to reset your mindset. Rebecca recommends that during a stressful time, product leaders can draw on somatic intelligence by engaging their body and not just their mind. Useful Links Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn Check out Rebecca’s YouTube channel, Access Alignment Learn more about Access Alignment Check out Rebecca’s book, Somatic Intelligence Innovation Quote “What got you here won’t get you there.” – Marshall Goldsmith Application Questions How would you apply the idea of viewing your organization as a “product” to your current product management approach? What have been your biggest challenges (or observed challenges) in moving into a leadership role, and how did you address them? Which stakeholders or relationships in your organization could benefit from deliberate mapping and attention, and how would you prioritize them? How do you currently gather feedback on your blind spots? Whom could you interview for 360-degree feedback? What techniques or habits help you manage stress and uncertainty? Bio Rebecca is a former tech co-founder (and Product Manager) who coaches CEOs and executive leaders. She’s a confidential sounding board, seer of blind spots, and leadership expert who enables senior leaders to scale effectively, build strong teams, and lead strategically. Rebecca’s clients work at exceptional companies such as Google, Salesforce, IDEO, Pinterest, Blue Shield of California, and Accenture.  Her book, Somatic Intelligence, helps leaders align head, heart, and body to lead with awareness, confidence, and clarity.  Rebecca experienced a career detour due to burnout and a quarter-life crisis. During that time, she discovered various healing resources foundational to her work as a coach.  Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source

How product managers can build emotional connections that drive retention, revenue, and referrals Watch on YouTube TLDR Product delight goes beyond functionality to create emotional connections with users. Dr. Nesrine Changuel, former product leader at Google, Spotify, and Microsoft, presents a four-step framework for systematically building delight into products. The approach involves identifying both functional and emotional motivators, turning them into product opportunities, categorizing solutions using a Delight Grid, and validating through a Delight Excellence Checklist. Research shows emotionally connected users have 2x higher retention and revenue, plus 60% more referrals. The optimal product portfolio balances 50% functional features, 40% deep delight (both functional and emotional), and 10% surface delight (purely emotional). Introduction Why do customers choose your product? Is it faster, does it have the best features, or is it priced better than your competitors? Don’t kid yourself, these are areas where your competitors can easily reach parity. So, what makes a product stand out? What makes it become the product customers genuinely love and can’t imagine living without? Not only will you find out in this episode, but you’ll also learn about the framework to make it happen. Our guest expert is Dr. Nesrine Changuel. She has spent over a decade building products used by millions at Google, Spotify, and Microsoft. She’s the creator of the Delight Framework that helped teams at these companies systematically build emotional connection into products. She now teaches this methodology at business schools, including INSEAD and ESSEC, and her recent book, Product Delight, describes these proven methods. Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers What is Product Delight?Product delight means creating products that connect with users on an emotional level while solving functional problems. It addresses both what users need to accomplish and how they want to feel while using the product. The Four-Step Delight Framework: Identify Motivators: List both functional motivators (what users want to accomplish) and emotional motivators (how they want to feel – productive, secure, connected, etc.). Create Product Opportunities: Transform emotional motivators into concrete product possibilities that can be implemented. Generate Solutions Using the Delight Grid: Categorize features into three types: Low Delight: Purely functional features Surface Delight: Purely emotional features Deep Delight: Features addressing both functional and emotional needs Validate with the Delight Excellence Checklist: Ensure features bring impact, avoid distraction, remain inclusive, and provide continuous rather than one-time delight The 50-40-10 Rule:Nesrine recommends that the optimal product roadmaps should contain: 50% low delight (functional features) 40% deep delight (functional + emotional) 10% surface delight (purely emotional) Examples and Case Studies: Spotify Examples: Low Delight: Search by lyrics functionality Surface Delight: Spotify Wrapped (contributed to 20% app downloads in 2020) Deep Delight: Discover Weekly, collaborative playlists, Spotify Jam Uber Security Features:Uber transformed the emotional motivator of feeling secure into features like location tracking for partners and proactive safety notifications when rides deviate from expected routes. Motivational Segmentation:Users can be segmented by why they use products, not just who they are or what they do. Spotify users might be goal-oriented (knowing exactly what to listen to) or inspiration-seeking (wanting discovery and recommendations). Business Impact:Research from multiple studies (including McKinsey and Harvard Business Review) shows emotionally connected users demonstrate: 2x higher retention compared to merely satisfied users 2x higher revenue through increased purchases 60% higher referral rates through word-of-mouth recommendations Implementation in Organizations: Integration Approaches: Dedicate specific PM roles to delight (rare but effective) Make space for both delight features and functional features in regular backlogs Establish product culture and principles that prioritize emotional connection Allocate a specific cadence (e.g., one deep delight feature per quarter) Jobs-to-be-Done Connection:Nesrine’s Delight Framework builds on Jobs-to-be-Done theory by making the emotional and social job aspects more actionable through specific tools like the Delight Grid and Delight Excellence Checklist. Useful Links Connect with Nesrine on LinkedIn Check out Nesrine’s new book Product Delight Visit Nesrine’s website Check out Nesrine’s Substack Innovation Quotes “Whether B2B or B2C, delight is essential in every B2H (business-to-human) industry.” – Nesrine Changuel  “We don’t want to work only on things that will change over the next 10 years. We want to also work on things that will remain for the next 10 years.” – paraphrase of Jeff Bezos Application Questions Looking at your current product, can you identify the top 3 emotional motivators that drive your users beyond the functional needs? How might you validate these assumptions through user research? If you were to categorize your product’s current features using the delight grid (low/surface/deep delight), what would your current ratio look like? Think about products in your space that users seem genuinely passionate about (not just satisfied with). What emotional connections do these products create that yours might be missing? How could you address this gap? How might you apply motivational segmentation to your user base? Given your current development process and team structure, how would you integrate the delight framework? Bio Nesrine Changuel is a product coach, trainer and author with over a decade of experience at companies like Google, Spotify, and Microsoft. With a background in research and a PhD from Bell Labs in collaboration with UCLA, she brings deep technical expertise to human-centered product design. From pioneering video experiences at Skype to creating emotionally engaging features for Google Meet and Chrome, Nesrine has made it her mission to help teams build products users truly love. Today, she teaches, speaks, and trains companies around the world on how to create delightful, emotionally resonant products. She lives in Paris.   Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source

Rich Mironov, a product leadership expert with over 40 years of experience, shares invaluable insights for CPOs and product VPs. He highlights the three core challenges these leaders face: effectively communicating product value in financial terms, building trust through strategic wins, and minimizing product waste. Mironov emphasizes that executives prioritize revenue impact, making it crucial to showcase product outcomes. He also discusses the importance of delegation, effective team structures, and establishing rituals to enhance product influence.

Lessons from Saturday Night Live for improving product team culture Watch on YouTube TLDR John Krewson, who began his career in sketch comedy before moving to software product development, explains what product teams can learn from sketch comedy. Like comedy writers, product teams must be able to be vulnerable, throw away unsuccessful ideas, and prioritize delivering valuable products over perfect products. John shares principles and practices adapted from sketch comedy that product managers can use to balance autonomy and accountability, make meetings more engaging, and understand customer problems. Introduction What if the secret to building breakthrough products is less about an innovation framework and more about the chaotic, creative energy of a Saturday Night Live writers’ room? Specifically, can sketch comedy principles revolutionize the way your software teams collaborate, create, and deliver products that customers love? We are about to find out, and I won’t keep you in suspense—lessons from sketch comedy can make you a better product manager and developer. In this episode, you’ll hear specific techniques to transform boring meetings into energizing collaborative sessions, practical methods to help your team improve ideas fast, and a new approach to product ownership that distributes creative control without losing focus. Our guest is John Krewson, who brings a unique perspective as a 25-year software industry veteran and professional sketch comedy performer, including a brush with SNL. He’s the founder of Sketch Development Services, has coached everyone from startups to Fortune 50 companies on agile transformation, and wrote the book on applying sketch comedy principles to product development, titled Pitch, Sketch, Launch. Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers John Krewson’s Journey: John began his career as a professional actor and performed as a background player on Saturday Night Live. He then switched careers to software development and worked his way up to management, leadership, and consulting roles. As a product leader, John found himself relying on his training as an actor and director. How Sketch Comedy Principles Inform Product Development:A software development team builds features without knowing whether they will satisfy the customer, in much the same way as a sketch comedy team has no idea if their sketch will be funny. The sketch comedy team mitigates risk by making their sketch only three and a half minutes long. Similar to software features, the sketch is a tight, independent unit of value, where the risk is mitigated by its independentness. John studied the process of moving from an idea to a product in sketch comedy, particularly at SNL, and, along with a comedy sketch writer, wrote about how that process could be applied to product development in Pitch, Sketch, Launch. Efficiency and Iteration:In sketch comedy, 90% of sketches don’t go on the air. Comedy teams practice their ideas on small audiences to figure out which sketches are funny before bringing them to a big show. In product development, ideas should be iterated upon using customer feedback. Vulnerability and Transparency:Sketch comedy teams have thick skins because they’ve been told they’re not funny 90% of the time. Organization culture can allow teams to be vulnerable enough to put ideas forward that may have a 90% chance of being unsuccessful. Always Be Ready:Lorne Michaels said, “We don’t go on because it’s ready. We go on because it’s 11:30.” Saturday Night Live has never missed a deadline in 50 years, not by aiming to be perfect, but by presenting the best version they can get done by Saturday. Rather than trying to figure out the most efficient way of landing the plane, they figure out the most valuable way of landing the plane. Opportunities to Play:At John’s company, Sketch, the product development teams take dedicated “play days” to play with and react to each others’ ideas, whether good or bad. Autonomy and Accountability:At SNL, sketch writers have 100% autonomy over writing their sketches during the week, but the director has accountability over the final show by choosing which sketches are performed. Similarly, product teams can balance autonomy and accountability by allowing independent units to build features, while having overarching accountability to select which features make it into the final product. Agile and Scrum:In an analogy to Scrum, on SNL, the director Lorne Michaels is the product owner, who articulates the vision for the product. The sketch writers and cast members are the development team, which executes on the vision. State managers and directors facilitate the execution and support the development team. The Role of the Product Owner:The product owner knows more about the customer than anyone else on the team. John suggests that the product owner should spend a third of their time with their customers understanding their problems, a third understanding the product and backlog, and a third with their team understanding engineering constraints and communicating customer insights to the developers. The best product owners help the development team see the customer and their problems as clearly as the product owner does. Lean Coffee:John mixes up the routine by occasionally using a meeting structure called Lean Coffee. Everyone writes what they would like to talk about on a sticky note and puts the notes on a whiteboard. Everyone votes on what they’d like to talk about. The team talks about the topic with the most votes for 5 minutes, then for 2 more minutes if the majority wants to keep talking about it. Then they move on to the next highest voted topic. Topics include a mix of business concerns and fun or random topics. The leader facilitates an environment where play, fun, and lightness are encouraged. Useful Links Check out John’s book, Pitch, Sketch, Launch Connect with John on LinkedIn Learn more about Sketch Development Innovation Quote “We don’t go on because it’s ready. We go on because it’s 11:30.” – Lorne Michaels “Nothing great was ever built by the team that couldn’t wait to clock out.” – John Krewson Application Questions How would expecting up to 90% of your ideas to be rejected change the way your product team currently operates? How can you help foster a resilient, open, vulnerable culture on your product team? What might regular “play” or creative sessions look like for a product or engineering team in your organization? How could distributing creative control (while still maintaining focus) benefit or challenge your current team structure? How does your team balance the tension between waiting to be “ready” and pushing forward to deliver value on a deadline? Bio John Krewson is the founder and CEO of Sketch Development Services, a St. Louis based consultancy that focuses on helping companies simplify the complex process of delivering software.   Founded in 2015, Sketch is a two-time member of the Inc 5000. Sketch has worked with dozens of companies from startups to the Fortune 50 to help them learn, adopt, and apply new ways of working to match an ever-changing work environment.   Prior to establishing Sketch, John’s career path encompassed various roles, including software developer, project manager, technology leader, and consultant. In addition to his professional endeavors, John has a unique past in the entertainment industry. In 1997, he made a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live.   Drawing parallels between knowledge workers and entertainers, John frequently incorporates his acting background into his presentations and training events, offering unique insights and lessons that resonate with audiences.  Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source

Winning product portfolios in physical product development Watch on YouTube TLDR In this episode, Matt Carr, VP of Design at Umbra, joins us to discuss the intersection of design leadership, product strategy, and innovation in physical product development. Matt shares practical frameworks Umbra uses to balance creative vision and business reality, offers insights into managing a global product portfolio, discusses approaches to cross-functional collaboration, and highlights how direct customer interaction (especially via e-commerce and social media) drives rapid product iteration. Product managers will find actionable tactics for portfolio balancing, design decision-making, and fostering a design-led culture. Introduction What does it take to design products that delight consumers while hitting profit targets? We are examining design leadership and product strategy with someone who has mastered both. If you’ve ever struggled to balance creative vision with commercial reality, or wondered how to scale design across global teams, this episode will give you frameworks you can use immediately.  Matt Carr is VP of Design at Umbra, the Canadian-based company that designs products for every room of the home. He’s spent 25 years at Umbra, from junior designer to leading their global design operations. He’s created products that have been featured in The New York Times, Surface Magazine, and Met Home. More importantly, he’s built systems for “balancing business and imagination” that keep Umbra at the front of innovation. Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers Umbra’s Global Design DNA:Matt explains how Umbra crafts products “for every room in your home.” Their five core values guide design: modern aesthetic, originality, casual sensibility, accessibility (price), and functionality. Product Portfolio Management:Umbra maintains long-standing lines (the maintenance bucket), continually innovates with blue sky ideas, and expands on successes through thoughtful derivatives, all while staying globally relevant. Case Study: Bellwood Photo Frame:As part of Umbra’s long-standing commitment to picture frames—a core “maintenance” product category—Matt Carr and his team recognized the need to innovate in a saturated market. Unlike traditional frames, the Bellwood features a single, continuous curve around the corners, giving it a modern, sculptural feel. It’s designed to look attractive from all angles, not just the front—a key differentiator from standard frames with plain or unsightly backs. The price-point allows Umbra to deliver premium feel at a price accessible to their global customer base. Practical Design Process:Matt outlines the design journey from early sketch and cardboard prototypes to iterative 3D models and tooling, emphasizing early, low-cost experimentation and the importance of cross-functional team input. The process involves: Identifying the Need or Opportunity Cross-Functional Brainstorming Early Concept Development Iterative Refinement and Prototyping Continuous Cross-Departmental Input Alignment with Brand DNA Customer Feedback and Iteration Final Development and Launch Consumer-Driven Innovation:Umbra’s internal team members often represent the target customer, but rapid feedback loops with end users—especially via e-commerce and social media—now accelerate product refinement, color choices, and new category opportunities. Ensuring Design Consistency at Scale:Matt explains how Umbra collaborates with external designers worldwide while maintaining brand DNA. Matt shares how great ideas are adapted through internal “design massage” to align with company ethos. Useful Links Learn more about Umbra Connect with Umbra on Instagram Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Innovation Quote “Your last impression is your lasting impression.” – Matt Carr Application Questions How can you adopt Umbra’s approach of balancing “blue sky” innovation and “maintenance” portfolio projects in your own product line? What are ways to involve cross-functional teams (manufacturing, sales, marketing) early and meaningfully in your design and development process? In what ways are you soliciting and incorporating direct customer feedback into product iteration, and how might you leverage newer channels like social media more effectively? How do you ensure that new product ideas—whether internal or external—consistently align with and reinforce your brand’s design principles? What prototyping strategies could you use to rapidly test and improve product concepts before significant investment in tooling or development? Bio Matt’s passion for design was first sparked when he interned at Douglas Cardinal Architects. He went on to study at Humber School of Industrial Design, where he received an ‘All-Canadian Academic’ award for scholastic and varsity achievements. An integral part of the Umbra design team since 2001, Matt has contributed countless designs to their product line. His work has been featured multiple times in The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, Surface Magazine, I.D Magazine, Met Home, Monocle, and Living Etc. Matt is compelled to create product that balances business and imagination. Subtle details, an appreciation for imperfection, and the reinvention of traditional objects are distinguishing features of his designs. As VP of Design, Matt oversees a global design department headquartered in Toronto.  Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source

In this discussion, Blair LaCorte, a seasoned leader, investor, and former CEO of AEye, shares insights from coaching 50+ CEOs. He highlights how aligning product strategy with company goals is crucial for success. Blair underscores the importance of saying no, making strategic trade-offs, and nurturing team culture. Drawing on his diverse experiences, he reflects on building effective product teams and the psychology of human behavior in business, while offering valuable advice for product managers seeking growth and purpose.

Dr. Joseph Michelli, a renowned speaker and consultant, shares insights on how human-centered product innovation is reshaping healthcare. He discusses One Medical's unique approach to integrating technology in patient care while maintaining a personal touch. The conversation touches on balancing automation with empathy, the importance of employee satisfaction, and how exceptional customer experiences drive loyalty. Michelli also highlights lessons from brands like Ritz-Carlton and Starbucks, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement in service delivery.

The biggest challenges when moving from individual contributor to product VP Watch on YouTube TLDR In this episode, I welcome Piers Fallowfield Cooper—executive coach and author of Are You Still the Future?—to explore one of the most critical career transitions in product management: moving from individual contributor to product leader. We discuss why success as a product manager doesn’t guarantee success in leadership, the mindset and skills required to thrive as a product VP, the importance of personal strengths and adaptability, and practical advice for building a successful, energized team. Introduction Let me paint a picture of a common occurrence. Product VPs and leaders start out as individual contributors, i.e., product managers. Because of their outstanding work, delivering value for the organization and delighting customers, the product manager’s responsibilities and influence quickly increases, resulting in a promotion to Product VP. Sounds great, right? Maybe not—a couple months after the promotion they are struggling and their teams are frustrated. If you were that newly promoted VP, you would be wondering if you made a terrible mistake.  Let’s turn that around. This discussion will help to equip you for the most critical transition in product management careers—the leap from individual contributor to product leader. This isn’t just about getting promoted; it’s about fundamentally shifting how you think, act, and add value. And, if you are already a product leader, this discussion will also help you improve and how you mentor your ICs.  Our guest is Piers Fallowfield-Cooper, who has coached over 130 C-suite executives through major leadership transitions. He’s spent 30 years in senior executive roles himself scaling companies across finance, technology, and e-publishing. His book Are You Still The Future? was a Business Book of the Year finalist in 2024. He knows how to effectively navigate the journey from individual contributor to executive leader.  Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers The Challenge of the Transition:Many product VPs begin as outstanding product managers, but leadership requires a shift from “I” to “we.” The skills and knowledge that led to promotion often don’t translate to success at the next level—leadership is less about specific expertise and more about asking the right questions, fostering a broader perspective, and leading through others. T-Shaped Leadership:Piers explains the necessity of moving from being a deep specialist to developing broad horizontal skills—an essential shift in most careers, including product management. Find Your Sweet Spot:Ambition doesn’t always mean you want or would be happier in a leadership role. Ask yourself why you want to get promoted and consider what trade-offs come with increased responsibility. Key Shifts for Aspiring Leaders: The move from “doing” to “thinking and leading.” Creating regular thinking time with diverse stimuli. Observing and reflecting on effective leadership styles, then building a personal leadership approach authentic to you. Focusing on helping the team succeed, rather than being everyone’s friend. Strengths, Energy & Environment: Use tools like Strengths Finder to identify what energizes you, not just what you’re competent at. Play to your energizing strengths, focus on what the business needs, and work where you add the most value. Provide an environment that fosters high performance: ensure adequate sleep, a positive environment, and fair, slightly challenging deadlines. Adaptability is key; those who are flexible can thrive in changing environments. Leadership Pitfalls & Practical Advice: Avoid “day one stupid”—don’t rush to fix things before understanding what works. Ask, “What do we do really well here?” and “Are there dumb things we should stop?” Don’t overthink or second-guess; often learning comes from experience, not theory. As a leader, work to not trigger the fight/flight/freeze response in your team by ensuring fairness, and predictability. Foster trust by showing vulnerability. Create a coaching and learning environment for your team, helping others to succeed rather than micromanaging. Useful Links Connect with Piers on LinkedIn Check out Are You Still The Future? Visit Piers’s website Innovation Quotes “The robots will adapt, will you?” – Piers Fallowfield-Cooper “Today’s certainties are tomorrow’s absurdities.” – Peter Drucker “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra Application Questions What was the most surprising challenge you faced (or anticipate facing) in moving from an individual contributor role to a leadership role? How can product leaders create an environment that maximizes team performance and individual energy? Why is it important to reflect on your own motives for pursuing leadership, and what tools or approaches help with that reflection? How can leaders best identify and develop the strengths of their team members to benefit both the individuals and the organization? What does adaptability mean to you in the context of product leadership, and how have you practiced it in your career so far? Bio Described by a number 10 insider as “The anti establishment, establishment coach”, Piers Fallowfield-Cooper’s goal is to help business leaders to be more successful, fulfilled and to support them in their journey from good to exceptional. His bestselling book, Are You Still The Future?: How learning to be flexible and read the signals in the system kept me relevant and prepared for every step on my leadership journey, was a finalist for the Business Book Awards 2024 Leadership category. Piers works with clients globally – in the UK, US, Europe, the Middle and Far East, Australasia and Southern Africa. He is currently celebrating 20 years of making a difference in leader’s lives (and having great fun). His experience includes over 30 years as a senior executive with various MD, President, CEO, and Chairman roles in global finance, digital media and technology. Clients value the fact that Piers has walked in their shoes and can genuinely and authentically empathise with their situation. Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source

How product managers can make their own futures Watch on YouTube TLDR In this episode of Product Mastery Now, we’re joined by Robin Champ, VP of Strategic Foresight at LBL Strategies and Harvard Extension School instructor. Robin shares practical approaches for product managers and leaders to anticipate, rather than merely react to, disruptions in the market and competitive landscape. Through the Strategic Foresight Framework, scenario planning, and trend scanning, Robin explains how to create agile strategies that help organizations deliver value in uncertain futures. Introduction Any product manager with some experience knows the frustration of being blindsided—competitor launches that catch you off-guard, market shifts that kill your roadmap, or customer behaviors that seemingly emerge overnight. Many product teams are in a cycle of reacting to change and putting out fires. Instead, what if you could anticipate change? By the end of this episode, you’ll have the strategic foresight framework that is taught at Harvard and applied in organizations. Our guest is Robin Champ, Vice President of Strategic Foresight at LBL Strategies and Harvard Extension School instructor. Robin spent 33 years applying foresight in the highest-stakes environments—the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Defense. She trains executives on the strategic planning methodologies that equips them to stay ahead of competitive threats and create opportunities. Also, Robin is speaking on Tuesday, September 16th, 2025, at my favorite product innovation conference, the Product Development and Management Association’s Ignite Innovation Conference. Learn more about the conference at www.PDMAsummit.com. Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers What is Strategic Foresight? Foresight vs. Forecasting: Foresight embraces uncertainty and explores multiple possible futures rather than making a single prediction. Scenario Planning: Organizations develop strategies by considering different directions the future could take, enabling agility and preparedness for disruption. Why Product Managers Need Foresight Competitive Advantage: With foresight, product managers are better equipped to stay ahead of market changes, competitor launches, and evolving customer behavior. Case Example: Robin describes applying scenario planning with a senior living community to anticipate shifting senior preferences and invent innovative solutions. Foresight Methodologies Environmental Scanning: Deliberately monitoring signals and trends in the market and society via tools like LinkedIn, futurist publications, and AI-powered analytics. Futures Wheel: Mapping out potential first-, second-, and third-order impacts of proposed changes or emerging trends. Bringing in Creativity: Leveraging both human creativity (e.g., involving science fiction writers) and AI tools to generate diverse and imaginative future scenarios. Practical Application Use scenario planning and futures wheels to consider the implications of market shifts, like changing education delivery models with AI and shorter attention spans. Scanning can be both manual and AI-assisted; following futurists can keep PMs ahead of upcoming trends. Strategic foresight enhances not just resilience, but also innovation and relevance. Useful Links Connect with Robin on LinkedIn Check out the Harvard course Robin teaches, Mastering Foresight: Scenario-Based Planning Register for the PDMA Ignite Innovation Conference and use code PDMAChad20 for 20% off your registration for the All-Access Pass or the Summit Pass Learn more about LBL Strategies  Innovation Quote “Organizations have to make their futures or risk being overtaken by the future.” – Clark Murdock, Future Making Application Questions How could scenario planning or the futures wheel help your product team be more agile in the face of uncertainty? In what ways are you currently scanning for trends or signals in your market? What could you do to improve this process? Where could your organization benefit from shifting from forecasting to strategic foresight in its strategy or product planning? What are the most disruptive “unknowns” facing your product category—how well prepared are you? How might you use AI or creative exercises (like science fiction narratives) to inspire future-focused thinking within your product team? Bio Robin L. Champ is Vice President of Strategic Foresight at LBL Strategies;  a Certified Strategy Management Professional (SMP);  and an instructor at Harvard Extension School. She helps organizations anticipate change, navigate uncertainty, and design strategies that drive real impact. With a background that includes leading foresight and strategy efforts at the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Defense, Robin brings a practical, future-focused approach grounded in decades of experience. Today, she works with leaders across sectors to turn insight into action.  Thanks! Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below. Source