My guest today is Francesca Cortesi, former Chief Product Officer at Hemnet - the largest housing marketplace in Sweden.This is a deep dive into Hemnet's journey into adopting the Product Operating Model and Francesca's product and growth leadership journey.Francesca shared deeply insightful stories, practical advice, and her perspective on driving change while keeping teams aligned and inspired.We talked about:* How Hemnet moved from features to outcomes.* Why Strategic context is the most important thing for a CPO* Why incremental changes beat big revolutions* The surprising power of revisiting your business model and internal incentives* Why asking for help can be a leadership growth hack.* Product Leadership lessons to recognize and adapt to new growth phases* And moreThis was a joy, Francesca's journey at Hemnet is a very interesting, practical, and real case and she's also a great human being.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guest today is Cecilie Skjong, Investment Manager at Skyfall Ventures - a Norwegian early-stage venture capital fund.As a founder, nailing your pitch, thinking big and challenging yourself to be more visionary, and quickly testing your ideas to get a sense of the market pull are crucial.And the same applies to a cross-functional team building a new product in a scale-up. The same applies to a product leader leading a new opportunity in a large organization.After being exposed to hundreds of pitches and investing in several early-stage ventures, Cecilie shared with me:* Characteristics of great founding teams* The importance of drive and resilience when testing ideas and building products* Early signs of market pull* Thinking big and the importance of Vision* How to craft a great pitch* The power of Founder-led Sales* The importance of understanding your macro trends (Waves)* The state of the Norwegian startup scene* And moreIf you’re a founder, I recommend pairing this episode with:* Episode 1: Testing Ideas with David Bland, co-author of the book Testing Business Ideas written together with Alex Osterwalder* Episode 9: Understanding Jobs to be Done with Bob Moesta, co-creator of the JTBD framework together with Clayton Christensen* Episode 19: Nailing your Positioning with April Dunford, bestselling author of one of the most well-known marketing books out there This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

Frederik Hansen, CPO at Ignite and a key figure in Norway's product community, dives into the essentials of product leadership. He discusses the importance of a grace period for new CPOs to integrate effectively. Frederik highlights the need for dedicated discovery time to foster innovation and shares techniques for rapid idea testing. He also reveals key traits to look for in product managers, emphasizing the value of collaboration and a growth mindset. Join him as he champions a culture of experimentation in product teams.

Melissa Mills, VP of Product at Ardoq, shares her wealth of experience from leading product teams at Kahoot! and Google. She discusses the unique challenges of product management in big tech versus startups and scale-ups, highlighting essential skills for different company stages. Mills emphasizes the importance of domain knowledge in B2B environments and the need for effective collaboration between product and sales teams. She also contrasts the work cultures of Silicon Valley and Norway, shedding light on how each influences product development strategies.

Thomas Allan Nygaard, Product Leader at Sparebank 1, shares insights from Norway’s best mobile bank. He discusses the bank's transition to a daily release model, empowering small autonomous teams for faster product development. The importance of balancing user feedback and risk is highlighted, alongside the value of OKRs in aligning team goals with company objectives. Nygaard also emphasizes individual growth as crucial for team effectiveness and shares strategies for simplifying product strategy to enhance value creation.

My guest today is Beth Stensen.Beth is a gem in the Design world in Norway.She was Head of Design at Ruter (the company responsible for the plan, coordination, order and market of public transport in Oslo & Akershus), she then became the CEO at Netlife (famous for their Y Oslo Conference), and now she's the Head of Design at Posten Bring - the leading post company in the Nordics.Beth has a lot of experience with transformations and this conversation is packed with insights and advice from her journey - as well as reflections on the Product Movement and how it's impacting Design, and its future.We covered:* The “Product” Movement and its impact to Design* Making room for the intangibles* Reflections on “tension” between Design and Product* Ruter’s transformational journey* A practical example of what a great Product Vision looks like* Tips to navigate transformation as a Designer and Design leader* Insights from Beth’s journey at Posten Bring so far* The Future of Design* And moreI really loved talking with Beth. There’s so much wisdom here. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did :) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

Christina Wodtke, a Stanford professor and author of "Radical Focus," shares her insights on OKRs and their implementation in organizations. She explains why not every team needs OKRs, emphasizing the importance of psychological safety and a supportive culture. The conversation contrasts outcome-based key results with output-focused metrics, while also addressing the unique challenges faced by startups versus larger corporations. Wodtke highlights effective collaboration within cross-functional teams and the need for clear goals to navigate complexities in project management.

In this engaging conversation, Espen Sundve, former CPO at Oda and senior advisor at Schibsted, teams up with Marius Røstad, CPO at Aidn, a groundbreaking healthcare scaleup. They dive into the art of creating strategic product frameworks and emphasize the importance of understanding user needs before development. Workplace dynamics come alive as they discuss fostering team alignment amidst rapid growth. Their insights on balancing speed and quality, along with the significance of customer feedback, provide valuable lessons for aspiring product leaders.

In this enlightening discussion, bestselling authors Teresa Torres and Petra Wille share their expertise on product discovery. Teresa, known for her insights in 'Continuous Discovery Habits,' emphasizes the difference between user research and true product discovery. Petra spotlights the importance of aligning product outcomes with strategic goals. They explore pitfalls to avoid, the significance of strategic context, and how to leverage KPI trees for success. With practical advice and storytelling tips, they reveal how to effectively communicate product vision to leadership.

My guest today is the globally renowned marketing expert April Dunford.April has probably advised more B2B tech companies on positioning than anyone in the world.April's book Obviously Awesome is one of the biggest best-selling marketing books out there - and I'm so happy we had time to dig into everything you need to know to nail Product Positioning so that customers get it, buy it, and love it.Every founder, marketing, sales, and product person should listen to this episode!We discussed:* Why companies fail with positioning* Why positioning is a team sport* April's step-by-step process to nail product positioning* How to find your ICP (ideal customer profile)* Common pitfalls when defining positioning* Messaging vs branding vs positioning* How to align Product, Marketing, Sales, and Executive leadership on positioning and why it's important* How to translate your positioning to a killing Sales pitch—Afonso’s profileApril’s profile and websiteApril’s books:* Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It* Sales Pitch: How to craft a story to stand out and win This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com