Product leaders guide product strategy, empower teams, and ease go-to-market strategies. They have to be customer-obsessed. And data-informed. Definitely outcomes-oriented. Plus, they need to know who knows what. And be credible and sufficiently likeable. All while ensuring the product doesn’t go off a cliff and the team doesn’t quit for greener pastures. In this talk, Esteban will share candid insights and advice he would give his younger self - if only he could. Like being mission-driven, understanding ideas, and taking the time to lead well. His tips and stories may help you watch out for mistakes and identify areas to double down on.
This is Esteban Contreras' talk at INDUSTRY Virtual conference for software product managers on September 22, 2020. http://www.industryconference.com
Esteban is a Sr Director of Product at Hootsuite. http://www.hootsuite.com
19. Fill a gap: Pinterest, Airbnb, TikTok, Peloton
Fix a broken service: Uber, Netflix, Zoom, Facebook
20. Nintendo | Former playing card
Samsung | Former fish exporter
YouTube | Former Dating App
Shopify | Former snowboard gear site
Twitter | Former podcasting platform
Instagram | Former GeoLocation App
Slack | Former online game
21. Without a vision you drift, end up lost.
Without a mission you tire and give up.
You justify the wrong means.
You lose sight of whom you serve.
37. ✅ Grow their brand
✅ Deliver great customer experiences
✅ Improve strategies
✅ Increase profits
✅ Mitigate risks
✅ Learn
✅ ROI
Missional Problem Space
38. IMPACT
Satisfaction, Reliability, etc. JTBD, Customer Outcomes ARR + ACV + NRR, etc.
UX Customer-centricity Business Results+ =
Features, Products
Output Excellence +
39. Good signs:
● You have traction, overwhelming demand
● Customers say your product is
“Necessary,” “Strategic,” “A must-have”
● Product has a POV, and guides users
● Retention, Renewals, Expansion
● Teams collaborate seamlessly
40. Bad symptoms:
● Building without validating
● Shipping for the sake of shipping
● Autonomy without alignment
● Vanity metrics
● Bloated, heavy processes
● Shiny objects and one-offs
● Never work on tech debt or only work on tech debt
● Teams avoid hard problems
● Animosity across silos
● Zero urgency
50. How we work*
* On our good days; these are some of the principles we aspired to live by
Customers
First
Outcomes
Over Outputs
Collaboration
By Design
Always-On
Learning
We understand and
solve problems for
customers
We chase customer
and business
impact
We work together,
and we
uplift
each other
We continuously
validate, ship,
iterate and learn
52. Platforms Myths Monsters
“We need to measure the
voice of the customer”
“NPS is the one and only
number to grow”
“VOC scores are useless
and irrelevant for us”
IDEAS AS
53. Platforms Myths Monsters
“The customer is
always right”
“Customers don’t know
what they need”
“Customers just want us
to be order-takers”
IDEAS AS
54. Platforms Myths Monsters
“The agile manifesto” “To be agile we need
methodology X”
“If we don’t do X,
we will fail”
IDEAS AS
55. Platforms Myths Monsters
“APIs open up
new possibilities”
“No one uses our APIs, so
let’s avoid them”
“APIs are a complete
waste of time”
IDEAS AS
56. Platforms Myths Monsters
“B2B user expectations
are higher than ever”
“We invested in UX before,
but it doesn’t do much”
“In enterprise software,
UX not a top priority”
IDEAS AS
57. “Horrible. The
interface is
terrible.
“Hard to search
for anything.
“It just feels off.
“Revisit your
design. It’s a bit
tired.
“Messy and
convoluted. Too
much.
“Visually
unorganized.
“Too
complicated.
Ugly to use.
“Not
user-friendly.
Not intuitive.
“Difficult. A
cluttered,
jumbled mess.
😟
58.
59. “Hootsuite
changed the UX.
I’m loving this!
“Great new UI.
Nice launch too.
“We are so
happy.
#Accessibility
“I’m really
feelin’ the new
UI guys. Bravo!
“Check out the
new feathers 🦉.
Great job owly
friends 🙌 🙌
“Re: New look…
I *LIKE* it,
I *LIKE* it 😘
“I LOVE the new
user interface.
Worth the wait.
“Social media
managers
geeking over it...
“I was absolutely
thrilled when I
logged in.
73. FYI:
People will leave
You will get brutal feedback
You will hire the wrong person
You will have to let someone go
You will feel impostor syndrome
You will fail (and not always fast)
74. Be honest. And kind.
Be humble. And self-critical.
Be decisive. And committed.
Be helpful. And action-oriented.
Be selfless. And grateful.
Learn. And ask for help.
Earn respect.
83. Be on a mission to create lasting impact,
for your customers and your company
Remember that ideas are powerful platforms;
beware myths and monsters
Leadership is ultimately about growing others,
and establishing your product as a leading product
TL;DR
86. BLURB:
PRODUCT LEADERSHIP IRL: THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN A DECADE AGO
Product leaders guide product strategy, empower teams, and ease go-to-market strategies.
They have to be customer-obsessed. And data-informed. Definitely outcomes-oriented. Plus,
they need to know who knows what. And be credible and sufficiently likeable. All while
ensuring the product doesn’t go off a cliff and the team doesn’t quit for greener pastures. In
this talk, Esteban will share candid insights and advice he would give his younger self - if only
he could. Like being mission-driven, understanding ideas, and taking the time to lead well. His
tips and stories may help you watch out for mistakes and identify areas to double down on.