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As you may have seen, I recently spoke at #LaProductConf Paris and my talk was about the narratives we create and how it shapes our work as product managers and product leaders. These narratives are stories going on in our heads telling us who's on our side, who we should be working with, who we shouldn't, and how we should be approaching our work altogether. Ultimately they can significantly shape how we work, how our teams operate, how our organisation functions, and even the future of our products. That's why we must understand them clearly and rewrite them where necessary. If you missed the conference, catch up with my latest blog. I've linked it in the comments below. 👇 Be sure to let me know what you think. #product #interpersonalskills #itsallinvented

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June’s Product Group London saw the group engage in a discussion on the topic of the night: Product Delivery in Startups & Large Organisations alongside an insightful conversation with Susana Videira Lopes, Director of Product, Abatable (ex- Onfido). - Product Delivery – with a multitude of angles explored the group went from conversations about what needs to be in place to support product delivery (e.g. culture, strategy, team and organization buy-in, resources, risk appetite), through to a number of activities and considerations to help drive delivery. On the differences between startups and large organisations the theme was that startups can and are more flexible with there delivery approaches, whilst larger orgs are likely to be more structured - unless the product team is separate from the core business or has a specific experimentation / discovery mandate. - Susana Videira Lopes – next up Susana spoke about her experiences growing products and revenue at Onfido (incl. turning around a prototype for a prospect in 3 weeks); evolving product delivery practices as the organization grew; transitioning from a PM to product leader and starting a coaching and startup advisory business. Susana also shared some perspectives on working with a founder as the first PM and how you know if a startup is right for you i.e. by get into the founders head and aligning to their vision and ensuring that you can work with them before joining, respectively. More info on Susana’s PM coaching and startup advisory can be found here: www.susanavideiralopes.com Thank you Susana Videira Lopes 🙏. Thanks to everyone who came and engaged in the discussions 🙏. Thanks to Meta 🙏 for hosting us and providing the refreshments. See you on 11th July! #tpglondon #prodmgmt #productmanagement #startups #bigcompanies #meta

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Sad to read the news that Workplace from Meta is going to be sunsetted next year. A lot of great companies achieved amazing things with it - not least some awesome ideas programs. Some of the highlights over the years for me include; - How proud the whole team were to support Nick De Blasio and the team at Nestlé in launching their InGenius ideas program on Workplace - Working with Stephen Lee and Irene Scardia to run Spark across the globe at Discovery Inc - Hustling to go from first meeting to launch to over 40,000 people with Scott and Justine (and later Alun) in about 2 weeks for AstraZeneca's award-winning AZ2025 campaign - Working with the partnerships team at Facebook/Meta on a really productive partnership (often over those lovely office lunches ;)) that began with Armin leading the way - Working with an absolutely huge (but shy) retailer to give a voice to millions of in-store colleagues Though the vast majority of our customers now use our apps for Microsoft Teams and Interact Software, we're here to do everything we can to help those still using the Workplace integration to minimise disruption as they navigate the path ahead. We'll be opening up our Teams and Interact Apps to those currently using Workplace, and connecting the dots with the Interact team who can help companies now scrambling for an alternative. Photo from one of the early and very swanky Transform events. Thanks for the memories - the only thing constant is change - onwards and upwards 💡

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This week, I had the chance to have a chat with Daniele Ronca to talk about communities. If you work in Product and live in Berlin, you surely heard about Daniele’s community for Product folks: Berlinproductmanagers (x ProductLAB). From a first round of events some months ago, to the next one being fully booked with 150+people in the waitlist, things went very fast! What really sticked with me from our conversation about building communities are values we both share: ➡️ This is something you have to do with passion: it will fuel the rest. ➡️ Keep a focus on quality: do the best for your members and deliver fast. ➡️ Do not be shy and connect with top leaders: you get to meet incredibly talented and inspiring people. ProductLAB recently launched their online community, so if you are a Product Manager, want to learn, and connect with peers, go check it out! PS: Daniele is looking for a Co-Founder! 🙂

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Having a chat with Simon Bristow the other day, we discussed the idea of Design Debt. It inspired me to write a full article :) What exactly is Design Debt? It’s the buildup of nasty assumptions and misfires that happens when you spend too much time in the lab and not enough time on the street. It’s what happens when your team falls in love with their own ideas, research artefacts and designs, instead of listening to what real users actually want and need in real life. What do you think? https://lnkd.in/gpKiNj9x #Design EverestEngineering

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Our latest launch—the Chrome Extension for LinkedIn—is a case study in how we think about product innovation at Common Room. We try to be very thoughtful about how we sequence our roadmap. Based on what matters most to our customers, it’s a healthy mix of new functionalities and quality-of-life updates. But here’s the thing: When your customers are on the bleeding-edge of go-to market, your EPD team has to be, too. Industry leaders like Notion and Zapier simply aren’t satisfied with the status quo. We constantly push ourselves to reimagine what’s possible because that’s where the alpha is for our customers. Our new Chrome Extension for LinkedIn is a great example. LinkedIn is hands-down the most important prospecting channel for B2B companies. We’ve always auto-captured LinkedIn signals for our customers—reactions to their company posts, comments that mention their companies—but these were explicit engagements. What about all the LinkedIn signals that don’t call out your company by name? People engaging with posts related to your industry. People engaging with posts from business-relevant thought leaders. People engaging with posts from your top competitors. Each one of these is a powerful signal. And each one is incredibly difficult and time-consuming to capture. Or at least they used to be. Our new Chrome extension allows you to: - Pull everyone who engages with any LI post into Common Room and send them to a prioritized burndown list. - Uncover contact details to outbound with AI-powered waterfall enrichment. - Access a contact’s Person360™ profile while browsing their LI profile page. - Take the next best action (think adding to a sequence or syncing with your CRM) with zero tab hopping or manual data entry. What does that mean for our customers? Social engagement plays powered by our Chrome extension produce: - 50% higher open rates - 3x higher reply rates - 2x higher booked meeting rates No more dealing with subpar web scraping tools. No more spending hours updating spreadsheets. No more struggling to manually qualify for fit. Just the ability to reach the right person, with the right message, at the right time—all on the most-important channel for modern GTM teams. LinkedIn is just the start. I’m so excited to see how our customers put our new Chrome extension to work. Sign up for Common Room and download our Chrome Extension for LinkedIn today. Or check out the blog post in the comments for more info ⬇️

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Unlocking European Markets: Expert Insights on Successful Tech Entry & Expansion Q: As a founder of a B2B IT startup in Silicon Valley, I'm keen on exploring opportunities to introduce our products and services to the European market. What strategies should I consider for entering and building solid foundations?** A: Diving into the European market can be quite daunting for startups. While the European Community facilitates trade across its member countries, local and regional differences persist, creating complexities, especially with initial sales efforts. Many European sales teams, particularly the larger, well-known ones, may have widespread contacts but typically cater to established companies with recognized brands. These firms might not prioritize building new markets for startups. However, there are boutique go-to-market agencies that specialize in launching innovative technologies and startups in Europe, helping them connect with local firms eager for a strategic edge through early tech adoption. One standout example is AnotherTrail, a company I've had the pleasure of collaborating with for over 20 years. They excel in making these connections, significantly easing the market entry process for newcomers. Case Study Highlight:  One of AnotherTrail's success stories involves a tech startup from the US that introduced a groundbreaking software-define networking technology for datacenters. Despite initial challenges such as fighting the big mammoths in networking, AnotherTrail facilitated winning the initial logos/references and strategic partnerships, dramatically boosting the startup's visibility, growth and presence across Europe. PS: (April-May 2024): If you’re looking to explore European markets, you might be interested to know that Etienne Coulon, the founder of AnotherTrail, will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area in early May. For those interested in making valuable connections or discussing potential collaborations, feel free to send me a LinkedIn connection request for an introduction to Etienne. This could be a pivotal step for your venture into Europe! Scott McGregor is a serial Start-up Co-founder, EIR, tech executive, advisor, consultant, coach, educator, speaker & mentor 

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I wrote about storytelling, messy validation and failure in my guest post for Product Breaks this week. Key takeaways: ⁉ Spell our your assumptions 🛑 Document your failures 🛣 Don't miss the connection... Hope you enjoy! #productstrategy #storytelling #assumptionmapping

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Milan Reinartz Adriel Yong 👋🏻 shared this video (https://lnkd.in/gfdErxRb) by Sam Altman in the Orvel Ventures / Ascend Network founders WhatsApp group. And it reminded me of something I've been thinking about on and off the past several weeks as we assessed talent (gaps) across our org. Sam Altman: "We tried an experiment once at YC where we funded 20 teams of strong founders that didn't have ideas, but were otherwise really good. They all failed. And what we learned was the good founders are the people that have ideas all the time. So there's an intelligence component to this, there's a creativity component to this, there's an ability to think independent thoughts component to this, but whatever you want to call this, this idea of this particular kind of intelligence that leads to seeing problems in different ways and thinking of ideas that don't yet exist but should, you've got to have that in a founder." Most of us are familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and I think a similar framework can be applied for assessing and upgrading levels of (entrepreneurial) talent. I think most of Sam's points can be distilled into this mental model but rather focusing on obvious skills (like communication skills), I found it more useful to look at it from a 'mindset' vs. skills perspective.

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🌟 Are you a leader in the UX & Product world? Join me for an exclusive gathering at the PUSH UX & Product Leaders Lunch next week Thursday, June 6th at Gigi Trattoria in Munich from 12:30-14:30! 🇮🇹 WHY THIS LUNCH IS A MUST FOR EVERY PEOPLE LEADER: - 🤝 Product Leaders Unite: Connect with a select group of ten leaders in a cozy, intimate setting. Imagine the insights and partnerships that can emerge from such high-level discussions. - 🧠 Focused Discussions: Utilizing the Lean Coffee method, every voice gets heard, ensuring dynamic and democratic conversations. It's your chance to share, challenge, and refine your ideas among peers. - 🍝 Delicious Cuisine: Who says great discussions can't happen over great food? Enjoy mouth-watering Italian dishes, with vegetarian and vegan options available, ensuring a delightful culinary experience as you engage. 🍽️ THIS IS NO ORDINARY LUNCH It's a place where thought leaders can delve into the nuances of UX and product management, ignite new ideas, and discover collaborative opportunities, all while enjoying some of the best food Munich has to offer. 👥 SPACE IS LIMITED Designed specifically for founders, directors, and top-level leaders in the UX & product scene, this lunch ensures you’re interacting with peers who share your challenges and ambitions. 📅 Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to enrich your leadership journey and enjoy meaningful conversations that could shape the future of UX and Product. Let's push the boundaries of what's possible together! Reserve your spot now and join us for a lunch that promises to be as enriching as it is delicious. 📩 RSVP today to secure your place at the table. Join me at UX & Product Leaders Lunch #17 https://lnkd.in/dCDq2_Zh 👤 Want more details? Feel free to connect with me! #Leadership #BusinessLunch #PeerCoaching

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Things that keep me up at night: ✔️ensuring our product evolves in the right direction ✔️ continuing to build things users love and are excited about ✔️showing and proving value above and beyond the AI buzzword all around Things that don’t: ✅ if I have chosen the right company and team This is me and Nima in our latest team meet up. We laugh, but truly laugh once a day. We support each other and build an inclusive culture. For me the balance adds up. Because having the right team and culture makes all the difference. How do you balance it out?

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Deep Dive: Lessons from 50+ Conversations with VP Product / CPOs Over the Last Year 🔍 In the past 12 months, I've engaged in enriching discussions with numerous VP Product and Chief Product Officers. These conversations have been insightful, revealing both challenges and best practices shaping the product management landscape today. Here’s a detailed list of the top 10 takeaways: 1. Integrative User Research: Successful products are built on a foundation of continuous user research, integrating feedback loops into every stage of the product life cycle to refine UX/UI. 2. Agile Leadership Evolution: Dynamic markets demand leaders who not only advocate for but actively implement agile methodologies, ensuring rapid adaptability and resilience. 3. Advanced Analytics for Predictive Insights: Leveraging sophisticated analytics tools to not only interpret current data but also predict future user behaviors and market demands. 4. Building Scalable Systems: Emphasizing the need for infrastructure that supports scaling, particularly as products grow and evolve in complexity and user base. 5. Enhanced Cross-Functional Synergy: Encouraging seamless interaction between product, marketing, sales, and tech teams to ensure a unified approach to product development and launch strategies. 6. Focus on Product-Led Growth: Shifting strategies to center around the product as the primary driver of customer acquisition, conversion, and expansion. 7. Emphasis on Continuous Learning and Development: Investing in continuous education and professional development to keep skills relevant and teams innovative. 8. Strategic Experimentation: Cultivating a culture where calculated risks and strategic experiments are encouraged to quickly test new ideas and learn from the outcomes. 9. Enhanced Customer Journey Mapping: Detailed mapping of the customer journey to understand and anticipate every touchpoint, improving personalization and identifying opportunities for product improvement. 10. Regulatory Compliance and Security: Staying ahead of regulatory changes and enhancing product security to safeguard user data and comply with global standards. Each of these points reflects a broader trend in product management that demands attention and strategic action. I’m keen to hear how others in the industry are navigating these complexities. What challenges have you faced, and what solutions have you found effective?

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Worthy Read: Hiten Shah on How to Avoid Common Pitfalls of Product Development by Anna Savina Hiten Shah is a co-founder of several SaaS companies including FYI, Crazy Egg, Product Habits, and KISSmetrics. In this interview on the RealtimeBoard blog, he shares his approaches to interviewing customers, working backwards instead of towards a roadmap, and building product momentum. Check it out here: https://buff.ly/307ibqt ❓ Have any of you had an "aha" moment during customer research that made you pivot or significantly change your product strategy? How did it impact your development process and the final product? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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One of the best parts of writing a book is all the amazing people you get to meet. So great to finally meet IRL with Ivan Bofarull from Spain who is the author of Moonshot Thinking. The Innovators Dilemma is real at companies of all sizes and knowing when to get off a local maxima, go for 0 -> 1, and do it in a repeatable way that maximizes your chances of success is critical. I think the two concepts in both our books reinforce the criticality of learning but sometimes that learning says that the non-linear path is the right one to take! Grab his book at the link in the comments!

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AI can be an incredibly powerful technology for creating valuable products. However the golden rule – “Do not delegate thinking” –becomes most critical than ever. AI can seriously hallucinate, lack the right context, and become a source of quality and originality regression. Great article by Itamar Gilad

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Office Hours -> Meet "Experiment Hour" What's the best workshop we've ever run for product & experimentation teams? A format that gets superb feedback, fast results and changes the way that people work, irrevocably? Just 90 minutes chatting about your AB tests - asking good questions, looking at the research and data, asking more questions. We can then offer our advice, suggestions and potential improvements. It sounds obvious, but why does it work so well? * Sharing real work is way better than 'training' people - because you can give advice within the context of a particular experiment or series of tests * Everyone on the team and wider company gets to hear the advice or solutions for other teams, so everyone learns something useful * Having a live Q&A around a particular experiment, with a range of experts, leads to improved ideas, process, statistics or experiment designs * There's at least one 'teachable moment' for every test we discuss - where a key concept or critical insight needs to be shared. Since the feedback was so good, we started thinking about how we would do this with a live audience in public. Why not have a group of experts look over tests, ideas and important questions around experimentation - and share the 'teachable moments' with a bigger audience? So this is why Experiment Hour was started. To use discussion of experiments to fuel sharing of good knowledge. Our first episode is already in the works and will be announced shortly. Each month, we'll tackle a particular theme or area of experimentation. We need your tests! If you've got a test and would like a session with top testing experts on what to do next, let me know. Our first episode is going to be all about Landing Page Experiments, so if you have any experiments or questions, get in touch!

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Nearly every single new product will need to pivot before finding product/market fit. And yet, most teams are terrible at pivoting... Here's what I've learned about the fine art of pivoting well: First, you need to identify which of your product/market fit hypotheses is not working: 1️⃣ Problem to solve - Do customers not care enough about the problem you're solving? 2️⃣ Target audience - Is the product not resonating with your target audience? 3️⃣ Value proposition - Is your solution not addressing the customer's problem? 4️⃣ Competitive advantage - Is your product failing to differentiate relative to alternatives? 5️⃣ Growth strategy - Are you failing to attract adequate customers to the product? 6️⃣ Business model - Are customers unwilling to pay for the product? Once you've identified the specific hypothesis that is not working, you then need to generate alternative hypotheses for what might fix it. The task then becomes coming up with small tests you can run to validate whether your alternative hypotheses will indeed fix what's not working. You might conduct customer interviews, run growth tests, launch a new product feature, etc, all in service of testing your new hypothesis. Once you have some conviction on this new hypothesis, it's time to roll it out across your product. The final critical step is ensuring you then revisit each of your other hypotheses and make sure they are now in alignment with what you've changed. People often forget this step. For example, if you decided to move up market to enterprise, your existing growth strategy is unlikely to be effective for attracting enterprise customers, so that hypothesis now also needs to be updated to be brought into alignment. 👆 This is a preview of content we'll be covering in my Finding Product/Market Fit course. Join us for the May cohort to learn a modern approach to new product innovation: https://lnkd.in/gwKZDtX3

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Want to get better at working with others to solve problems collaboratively? Use the 4 D's framework for systematic thinking. Go one step at a time. 1. Data - What do you (collectively) know about the problem? 2. Diagnosis - Why is this problem happening? What are the underlying causes? 3. Direction - What should be done in general? 4. Do Next - What specific actions should be taken? Who? When? Where? How? Credit to Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp's book "Getting it Done." Read this because it was recommended by the late and great Charlie Munger.

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