Product Leadership: How Top Product Managers Launch Awesome Products and Build Successful Teams

by Richard Banfield

Ultimately, the job of the manager or leader is to get results through other people. If there’s one key takeaway from this book, it’s this: it is not about individual success, it’s about getting the best out of others.

Efficient communication and decision making are key to great teams. Poor communication between team members defeats the purpose of having great people.

“Are your product discovery and delivery teams empowered to change the company’s vision, strategy, culture, and processes?”

It’s an outcome that matters, not the output.”

Dunn’s observation shows that it is often the people closest to the customer who are best suited to make product decisions.

It starts with developing a shared vision and purpose for the product. If the team doesn’t agree on the big picture, then they certainly won’t agree on a single feature.

“The roadmap prioritization approach is co-creation at its finest, which is akin to the Ikea effect: we love our Ikea furniture because we built it ourselves.

A level playing field lets the best ideas stand out, which makes the prioritization process infinitely easier.

Structured sessions where team members can discuss their biggest challenges and what they understand as the team’s purpose will highlight any gaps.

Reminding a team member of one of their OKRs (objectives and key results) has the same effect as removing distractions from their plate: it refocuses them on what’s really important.

The reason it is so important is that a common vision is the hub to which all activities and decisions are connected. It is the lens through which the organization finds its focal point, aligns the entire team’s energy and attention, and reminds them what isn’t important.

The company vision should be mentioned or presented weekly if possible, and included in all team meetings and in all-hands meetings.

“Be stubborn on vision, flexible on details.”

Product management might not be the right career path for a person that is averse to change.

I see it as an artifact that communicates the direction you’re going to meet the product vision.

what you want to convey in your roadmap is not a series of features or solutions but themes around the customer problems you intend to focus on and work on.

“Themes are a promise to solve problems, not build features,”

By proposing ideas in the form of ‘I bet that by doing X we’ll see Y,’ sharing your thoughts becomes less risky than stating a more formal hypothesis. If your bet is wrong, you might feel bad, but it was a bet — nothing more.

we should focus on learning and put the emphasis on testing our riskiest assumptions. “A RAT, or riskiest assumption test,2 is explicit,” Higham continues. “There is no need to build more than what’s required to test your largest unknown. No expectation of perfect code or design. No danger it will prematurely become a product.”

Failing to communicate this roadmap clearly and frequently will make it less effective.

The product leader’s job is not to constantly manage or direct, but to lead their team by clearly articulating the common goal. They should provide the context the team is working in, from the problems and frustrations the customers have to the competitive environment the company operates within. If nothing else, this is what you will get out of this book.

The product leader’s job is to curate the right team, provide an environment for success, bring the user problems to them, and then facilitate conversations and help connect the dots so the whole team can design the solutions together.

TransferWise has built fully autonomous product teams with clear KPIs (key performance indicators)3 but otherwise total freedom to set their roadmap, decide their organization, and build the team and resources they need to execute their plan. Any team can change any part of the product.

In an ideal situation, the product team isn’t making decisions based on a burndown chart or efficiency flow metrics; rather, the team is making decisions based on customer outcomes.

The best teams go further, and contain everything needed to execute their area of the product, from legal to marketing.

the reality is that great teams deliver from a positive attitude.

This situation emerges when there’s a lot of activity but no clear metric is being created for measuring anything of value.

“Relations make the bigger stuff. Get the relations and people part right first. The rest will follow.”

It’s worth noting that designing people’s careers is frequently the best way to ensure that teams retain talent.

To get started, you need to know what problem the person is solving with their career.

Reminding the team of the things that excited them in their childhood might help them identify what they want to do with their lives.

The best teams we’ve spoken to make discovery and customer research a regular commitment

When a leader starts a problem-solving process by directing their team to certain options, they are shutting down the creative process.

Leadership is empowering people around you to see the vision, strategy, or a mission. The job of the leader is to be connected to the why of the work, not the how. Let teams shape the how.

However, one thing is certain: a product leader will be judged by how well they deliver a valuable solution to a customer problem.

The best product managers, therefore, focus on defining and prioritizing problems, not solutions.

Top product leaders look for team members that can bring differing opinions and experiences to the table.

Trusting others to get their work done is more effective, and delegating is the goal; this doesn’t mean being absent, it means involving yourself in the day-to-day workflow so you know what’s going on and can assist where necessary.

That means breaking out of the known area of expertise of past experiences and getting into the details of the other areas.

In simple terms, this boils down to curiosity and empathy.

If the team is showing signs of maturity and adaptability, the talent required is likely to be found within. If the team gets increasingly chaotic as they grow, it will be necessary to hire someone to restore control and develop a culture that’s ready for fast growth.

We highly recommend making a hire only when both the specific problem can be solved and the overall value of the team will be raised.

Whatever you choose, make sure it resonates with who you are. Trying to be something you’re not is exhausting and unsustainable. Great leaders are always true to who they are.

Qualitative and quantitative data needs to be part of the product leader’s day.

the lesson is to always follow the number one problem, not the number two problem.”

Develop a roadmap that outlines the core themes and priorities.

Telling your team what you don’t want from them, or that the product might fail if they do a certain thing, is the incorrect way to motivate them.

The challenge the leader faces is making sure that everyone is aware of the strategic vision and what it means to their tactical choices and decisions.

Whatever the style of communication, one thing is common across successful organizations: communication is constant.

Unsurprisingly, finding out who your users and customers are gets to the core of your business value. Mapping this value allows you to determine the best metrics to measure your business.