People of Product

In this discussion, Jason Houseworth, Chief Product Officer at OpenLane and mentor to aspiring product managers, challenges the conventional role of product managers. He emphasizes the need to shift from activity management to genuine value creation. Topics include using AI as a collaborator, adopting an entrepreneurial mindset within enterprises, and the importance of understanding user needs. Jason argues for a value creator mindset, where success is defined by the benefit delivered to end-users, not merely by task completion.

Description: Most companies jump straight to AI use cases, whereas Dan Williamson at Ryan Companies US, Inc. started with education first. Rather than chasing the bells and whistles or sexy use cases, his team focused on helping people rethink their roles and understand how this tech will change their work.Dan explains why he looks for willing business partners instead of fighting resistance, how rockstar superintendents became his best AI evangelists, and what happens when you prioritize eliminating the bane of most people's day over shiny objects.Education over bells and whistlesDan's approach to AI implementation at Ryan Companies flips the typical playbook. Instead of leading with sexy use cases, his team made an unexpected choice."One of the biggest things we did from a strategic standpoint related to AI wasn't all the bells and whistles - which use cases are you going after, what's the sexy thing you're doing right now? It was honestly communicating and educating with our company, giving them the right education, giving them a foundational understanding in order for them to rethink about their roles and rethink about how this technology will change their work. Because it ultimately will."A three-module curriculum that he proved worksWorking with the University of Minnesota, Dan built a practical education framework:* Hour-long fundamentals: "Give them semantics to talk about the words, to understand and read an article better. Remove that fog, the unknown unknowns."* 90-minute hands-on: "I have this suspicion that no one takes the time for themselves unless you tell them to do it. If I were to give them an enterprise chatbot license and say 'go take 90 minutes and tinker,' they're not going to protect that time. So we protect that time for them."* Design thinking workshop: "We've given individuals a new toolset and new language to think about innovation, but we haven't taught them how to innovate and change."Finding willing partners, not fighting resistanceDan's change management philosophy is refreshingly honest: "I truly look for partners in the business who are willing to come on that journey. There are areas where there's been resistance, and that's just maybe not where we started. That doesn't mean we won't get there, but we're trying to prioritize the partners at Ryan who are really willing to go on the journey with us."His approach involves getting on job sites: "We've tried to engage and empathize with our business partners as much as possible—getting on the job site, having them tell us their problems, listening really intently and coming at those problems with a different perspective."The best ambassadors aren't who you think"The best sellers of those ideas in domains where I'm not the expert—if I have our rockstar superintendents going out and selling the use cases we have, that's going to be a huge win. I hope it's them finding the value and driving that narrative more than I am."TLDR: Start with people, not technologyDan's approach proves that successful AI transformation requires treating it as a human challenge first, technical challenge second. Key lessons:* Education beats evangelism - Build foundational understanding before pushing use cases* Find willing partners - Work with early adopters rather than fighting resistance* Create internal champions - Your best evangelists are domain experts, not tech teams* Protect learning time - People won't make time for AI exploration unless you structure it.People of Product is brought to you by Crema - a design & technology consultancy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Description: Designers are coding, engineers are writing specs, and product managers are prototyping with tools that didn't exist 3 months ago. Julia Kanter, Senior Director of Product at Zillow, has watched her team's roles become more pixelated as the tectonic plates beneath the product landscape keep shifting. She explains why the need for product sense has become more acute when everyone can do a bit of everything. And why approaching this moment with curiosity, agency, and humility might be the smartest move of all.The new reality of product teamsJulia's perspective comes from leading AI and experience teams at Zillow, where she's witnessed firsthand how rapidly evolving tools are reshaping what it means to build products. The traditional boundaries between roles are blurring in ways that require teams to develop new patterns of collaboration."I think across tech it's clear that our roles are becoming more pixelated," Julia explains. "An engineer can be product minded or spin up their own spec, and a designer can code. That is great, but it does require practice in how to do that day to day and redefining your way of working with your partners."When everyone can prototype, what happens?The democratization of building tools has created unprecedented opportunities for rapid experimentation. Julia describes building a prototype at 40,000 feet during a flight, responding to feedback she'd received from real estate agents earlier that day. This kind of immediate iteration would have been impossible just a few years ago.But this accessibility comes with a caveat. While anyone can create a demo or proof of concept, getting something to production quality remains a significant challenge. The gap between "it works in the demo" and "it works reliably for thousands of users" is where product sense becomes crucial.The 3 work postures that still matter* Asking good questions - Good judgment starts with good questions! Stay curious.* Exercising judgment - When you can spin up a deep research report in a matter of minutes, discernment becomes imperative. What can be trusted? What should you use? What should you ignore entirely?* Taking agency - The tools are there, but they require someone willing to dive in without waiting for permission. High agency product people are experimenting, learning, and iterating faster than they ever have.2026 predictionsJulia predicts 2025 will be "the year of messy AI tech" where everyone is piloting and experimenting, with 2026 being when things start falling into place. This mirrors the pattern we saw with multimodal AI exploration in 2023 and broader implementation in 2024.For product teams, this means the current period is about building muscle memory around new tools and workflows rather than expecting immediate perfection.This is the worst that AI tools will ever be!TLDR; Having product sense is the differentiatorWhen everyone has access to powerful building tools, the ability to know what to build becomes the key differentiator. Product sense - that combination of customer empathy, business understanding, and strategic thinking - becomes more acute when the barriers to creating are lower.The message is clear! Embrace the fluidity, be ready to develop new collaborative processes, and remember that all the tools in the world can't replace good judgment about what customers actually want.People of Product is brought to you by Crema - a design & technology consultancy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Prioritization is one of the hardest parts of product management — and most teams are getting it wrong. They’re chasing the loudest voices instead of real impact. They’re getting distracted by shiny objects like AI.They fail to solve incongruencies between various areas of their organizations before executing.Mark Vanderweide, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Bungii, has seen this play out across startups, enterprise organizations, and M&A deals. In this episode, he breaks down how great product leaders fight the noise, focus on real value, and align teams before things spiral out of control. Additional topics include:* the difference between buyers and users and why it matters* key takeaways from Mark’s experience in product management in different company sizes* how to navigate the challenge of aligning newly acquired teams and leadership* managing competing interests from sales, ops, engineering, and leadership* AI hype vs. practical use cases* what separates high-performing product teams from dysfunctional onesPeople of Product is brought to you by Crema - Get the most out of your existing product teams. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Nate Juraschek, Head of Product at Telarus, has spent 20+ years navigating the highs and lows of product leadership—from Sprint and H&R Block to fast-moving startups. Along the way, he’s learned one truth: data is only as good as the story you tell with it.Topics covered in this episode include: * How to use data as a guide when following gut instincts * Why curiosity is the secret weapon of great product leaders* The most powerful (and underrated) analytics tools to start using today* How a background in filmmaking prepared Nate for the world of building digital products* How AI is changing the way we track, analyze, and act on product dataWhether you’re in product, UX, or tech leadership, this conversation is rich in insights to help you make more confident decisions.Watch the full episode on YouTube This episode is brought to you by Crema - Get the most out of your existing product teams. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Pat McLoughlin is the Director of Product at MoneyLion and former founder and CEO of Digs, a fintech platform for residential real estate. Digs provides tools that help renters save for their first home and homeowners maximize wealth while working with real estate agents and mortgage lenders.In this episode, Pat tells the story of how Digs came to be, and how he pivoted from pursuing architecture as a career to following a new interest in real estate, fintech, and educating first-time homebuyers when they needed it most.He takes us through the challenges and successes of scaling, fundraising, and eventually exiting through an acquisition.Additional topics:* Transitioning to a for-profit model* Building the Digs team* Navigating COVID and fundraising uncertainty* Team dynamics and scaling* Joining MoneyLion and building influence in a new organizationJoin the conversation! 👇🏼What unexpected skills or experiences from your past have shaped the way you approach challenges today, and how might hidden lessons from your own journey fuel future innovation?People of Product is brought to you by Crema - Get the most out of your existing product teams. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Alicia Lopez, Chief Innovation Officer at Flatiron Corp, is an innovation enthusiast with a rich background in civil engineering and over 25 years of experience in the construction industry. Originally from Spain, Alicia has worked globally—from India to the Middle East—bringing a holistic approach to innovation.In this week’s episode, Alicia shares her insights on building a culture of innovation, aligning it with company goals, and emphasizing the strategic importance of fostering collaboration across departments. Topics covered:* defining innovation in the workplace* fostering a culture of innovation* AI and digital twins* challenges and future of innovation* the role of change management in innovation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Tannis Liviniuk is the Digital Advancement Executive at Zachry Group and has a background in industrial construction, working on an array of different projects from greenfield and brownfield to shutdowns, freeze-ups, and fire rebuilds.In this week’s episode, we dive into the challenges of user adoption of new tools, the importance of understanding the end user, and the ethical questions surrounding AI. Other topics covered include:* the role of AI in data management* the ethics of AI and technology resistance* effective engagement with tech companies* building strong relationships in tech This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Tyler Campbell is the owner of Storybuilder Creative and co-host of the Construction Brothers podcast. His background in steel detailing coupled with experience creating videos in the commercial construction industry grants Tyler with unique insights into areas where construction tech falls short and how it can be improved. Topics include: * Challenges with technology adoption* The importance of proximity * Generational shifts in the industry* Technologists in the fieldBrought to you by Crema - Get the most out of your existing product teams. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us

Dustin Burns is the VP of Technology at McCownGordon Construction. His approach to technology impacts corporate culture, creating higher associate engagement and productivity. Dustin believes technology is useless if it doesn’t help people, and that construction is the most important industry in the world. In this week’s episode, he breaks down how new tech solutions are transforming the AEC industry — from preventing rework and reducing safety risk to changing the way the next generation views trade careers.Topics covered in this episode include:* the shifting perspective of working a trade* the role of technology in client experiences * safety and efficiency in construction * looking outside of the AEC industry for construction tech solutions Brought to you by Crema - Get the most out of your existing product teams. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peopleofproduct.us