I’m speaking at the Silicon Valley Product Management Association next month on the topic “Getting Products out from under the MIDDLE of the Bell Curve and Exceeding Expectations”.
In my talk I’ll discuss how Product Managers play a profound role in creating the environment around product development teams. I’ll explore various ways they can influence these products to move up from mediocrity and how to avoid micromanagement and “flavor of the month” feature ideas.
I’ll discuss specific ways to set clear goals and establish the right metrics. Dipping into my eBay days, I’ll share a little known story of the importance of asking for forgiveness rather than permission in driving innovation.
Some other takeaways from this talk will include:
- How to focus on the right, few, customer adoption metrics (e.g. AAARR). More is often not better and can distract from the main goal
- How defining your product’s purpose often improves working relationships with designers and engineers so you aren’t left arguing about the “what” or the “how
- How to avoid getting in the executive micromanagement web especially if they are distracted by the “flavor of the month” or “pet feature” ideas
- How to drive stealth projects or go through quick business case or product prototyping within a big company
In addition to speaking, we’ll be hosting the event at our Comcast Silicon Valley Innovation Center in Sunnyvale.
Join me and RSVP for the Event
Event: Sept 3rd from 6:30 – 9:30