The tenets of a great product leader.
How to thoughtfully build culture and strategy with inclusion at the core.
A lot has been written about product management, and if you’re interested in the technical ins and outs of the day-to-day, there are better sources out there that will talk about metrics and ground-up actionable tactics for startup founders.
With product increasingly so central to the core of many businesses, especially in tech, I’ve committed to a few pieces that will hopefully continue to illuminate the work and create some discourse around the role of leadership and strategy in product-centric organizations. I’m tackling all the fundamentals to start with—and I’d love suggestions for what might be most useful to you (I take requests), so today let’s talk about the evolving role of a product leader (no caps—it’s the work, rather than the title I’m concerned with here).
What exactly a product leader does, how they work, behave and their precise title can vary greatly from one organization to another. In a startup, the CEO is often the product leader, whereas in other organizations it may be design, engineering or product leaders who divide these responsibilities.
To make it more confusing, the title ‘product management’ infers management, and yet many product managers have very few direct reports, so the role of a product leader is even more tricky as you lead a team of people who have to use the power of evidence and influence to advance your product in service of your audience, the customer.
At its core, that makes the role of culture incredibly important in a product team. Not only do you set the tone for the core of the organization you are working at, but the core beliefs and behaviors that you exhibit will inevitably find their way into the product you make. So it’s important to practice what you preach and develop a strong culture.
In my experience product leaders who build great product cultures have the following ten things right (I’m not numbering them—this isn’t a listicle):
They are deeply customer-centric and put the customer at the heart of their work. Constantly asking the team if this is a decision that positively impacts the experience of those customers.
They lead from within, and where possible, seek to dissolve hierarchy. Without much managerial responsibility, they understand the power of influence to drive change and recognize that as leaders they model the behavior they want in others, and accept that—and I labor this point deliberately—the behaviors product leaders exhibit will find their way into the product they build.
They are inclusive. They understand the value of engaging diverse teams in innovation and can deftly convene the discourse to bring a group of non-like minded people with diverse lived experiences together.
They can name the moment to channel creativity, and the moment to optimize. By spotting when net-new ideas are needed vs. when existing features need to be enhanced, they know when to reach for generative vs optimizing methods and tools, and can easily switch between them both.
They tell stories and set vision. A compelling story paints a clear picture of where the product is going, and considers how to enroll others in it.
They can articulate strategy— in service of a vision. Which means that some work will have to be prioritized, and some de-prioritized. Great product leaders can clearly, succinctly communicate that.
They have enough context to set achievable goals. Whether it be OKRs or another method, they can successfully parse the goals of the organization into the vision, strategy and work with their team to set the right goals for the moment.
They understand the work to be done and are close enough to the engineering and design challenge to credibly build a roadmap, and can work with people at all levels with credibility to ensure that delivery happens.
They build an operating model that is fit for purpose, that is to say it is fit for product, fit for team and fit for the organization. They set the team up to work well together, with the right level of structure and freedom to make this particular group of people effective.
They seek feedback at every level. I wish I had done this earlier in my career—and that means creating conditions for people you work with, alongside and for—encouraging them to be candid with you, as well as just ‘asking’ for it.
Perhaps what I would emphasize the most—and something that has been core to me, is the need to balance both the creative and innovative mindset with the analytical one in any organization. Almost everybody has a bias in this regard, but being a product leader requires leadership in a human-centric way, with true consideration for the team and the customers first—the data is essential, in as far as it offers a greater insight into the work to be done.
This is where I commonly see Product Leaders are most challenged, and so constantly seeking feedback is essential to understanding how well you are calibrating your natural bias.
Finally I want to touch on an observation that I believe is key. Authenticity has been a bit of a buzzword of late, but it goes even further when you’re a product leader. As the person nurturing your product development, I believe the way you behave and show leadership will set the tone for the product you will build. Being passionate about the product and the space you are building in helps—because your receptors are more attuned to the needs of the customer and more powerfully enable you to see the subtle shifts that happen over time as broader culture, the market and their needs inevitably evolve. But remembering who you are building for, and that the way you lead will inevitably find its way into the product, will ensure you set your sights on what matters.
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In the spirit of learning I love to read comments, builds and things that will make these more useful—and would love to hear from you, feel free to drop comments below, or get in touch. Unlike other crap DJs I also take requests for what to spin next.
Ben, this is a great model for a product leader. I especially like the emphasis on balancing the creative and analytical mindset -- this is one of the trickiest things to balance as a product leader. As product leaders, we have to balance two opposing truths: it's easier to manage what can be measured, but not everything that counts can be counted.
On inclusivity, I'd add: 'deftly foster, and convene the discourse' ;)