The Power of Storytelling in Product Management | 2min snip from Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth

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Crafting a compelling product vision | Ebi Atawodi (YouTube, Netflix, Uber)

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

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The Power of Storytelling in Product Management

Storytelling is a critical skill for product managers, transcending mere numbers and stats. Pure narratives resonate more profoundly, creating a gap in impact compared to data alone. When integrating stories into product management, framing the vision as a narrative can be impactful. A simplified storytelling structure—beginning with 'Once upon a time,' describing the challenges, and culminating in the solution—can effectively communicate the product's purpose and journey. This narrative approach helps teams understand the foundational issues they aim to address, allowing for relatable and accessible communication. An example from YouTube's shorts illustrates this: the evolution from a polished content environment to a platform that empowers creators through brief, expressive videos. By embracing storytelling, product managers can foster creativity and redefine user engagement.

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Ebi Atawodi is Director of Product Management for the Creator Experience at YouTube, former Head of Product at Uber, and a former Director of Product (Payments and EMEA) at Netflix. Known for crafting a strong, unified vision, Ebi empowers her teams to achieve outsized outcomes. In today’s episode, we go deep into vision and strategy, including:

• The four key elements of a good vision statement

• Three ways to determine your mission

• The four pillars of great product management

• How writing helps you gain clarity

• How culture influences product

• Tips on how to structure a strategy session

• Advice on building team culture and improving work relationships

• What’s coming soon at YouTube

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Brought to you by Sidebar—Accelerate your career by surrounding yourself with extraordinary peers | Jira Product Discovery—Atlassian’s new prioritization and roadmapping tool built for product teams | Wix Studio—The web creation platform built for agencies

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/crafting-a-compelling-product-vision

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Where to find Ebi Atawodi:

• X: https://twitter.com/ebiatawodi

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebiatawodi

• YouTube mixes: https://www.youtube.com/@EbiAtawodi/videos

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/