Ashley Davenport

Y'all, I've been thinking about this a lot lately: exceptional product leaders aren't defined by how many features they ship – but by how many they deliberately choose not to build. Here's what saying strategic "nos" has taught me: 1. Every "yes" comes with an opportunity cost. When you say yes to one feature, you're implicitly saying no to dozens of others. Make it count. 2. The hardest nos are to good ideas. Bad ideas are easy to reject. The real challenge? Saying no to solid proposals that simply don't serve your core strategy. 3. The way you say no matters more than the no itself: - "No, because..." builds trust - "No, but here's what we can do..." shows partnership - "No for now, and here's when we'll revisit..." keeps doors open Product management isn't about making everyone happy – it's about making the right people successful. How do you handle saying no to stakeholders while maintaining strong relationships? #ProductManagement #Leadership #Strategy #ProductDecisions #StakeholderManagement

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Just wrapped up a fantastic course in Product Operations! As someone deeply invested in optimizing product teams, this course offered a comprehensive dive into the fundamentals and advanced strategies essential for making product teams thrive. The demand for skilled Product Ops pros is growing fast, and this Product-Led Alliance course by Chris Butler captured exactly why this role is indispensable. Key highlights: 🔹 Mastering Core Terminology & Roles – Clarifying expectations and responsibilities so that every Product Ops professional can deliver maximum value. 🔹 Community-Centric Product Management – Practical insights on applying product management expertise to foster strong, engaged product communities. 🔹 Experimentation & Data – Tactics for designing experiments and using data to inform programs and elevate team performance. 🔹 Building World-Class Communities – A blueprint for driving collaboration across product, process, and people. Excited to bring these insights into my work and help drive the impact of Product Ops forward! #ProductOperations #ContinuousLearning #ProductManagement #ProductOps #Leadership

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🚀 Launchpad to a Solid Product Operating Model I've been getting a lot of questions through networking and conferences about the keys to success in product operations. One thing I always emphasize: never skip steps when it comes to your product operating model. If you know me, you know I always start with a fundamental question: What does your business strategy look like? What direction do you want to go in? Without a clear strategy, how can you ensure your products reach the right destination? I've experienced firsthand the pitfalls of misalignment between product and business groups. It's easy to get caught up in the allure of building the best possible experience or solution for your customers and users. In the product world, it's tempting to dive into the latest industry drivers, like Artificial Intelligence, and find ways to incorporate them into your roadmap. However, incorporating trends should never be done in isolation. Aligning these innovations with your strategic business strategy is crucial. This alignment not only helps drive better bottom-line results but also ensures you deliver superior experiences for your customers. 💡 Key Takeaways: - Start with a Clear Business Strategy: Define your direction before diving into product development. - Ensure Alignment: Make sure your product and business groups are on the same page. - Incorporate Trends Strategically: Use industry trends like AI to enhance your roadmap in ways that align with your strategy. - Focus on the Destination: Always keep your end goals in mind to guide your product development. By following these principles, you can create a product operating model that not only meets but exceeds your business objectives. #ProductOperations #BusinessStrategy #Alignment #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #ProductManagement #SuccessTips #ProductOperatingModel

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As a Product leader who has been devastated and stressed by unemployment in recent times I’ve invested a lot of my time in learning latest methodologies/principles by following thought leaders and influencers in industry. Unfortunately it’s led to me feeling more inadequate than informed. This post by Apoorva Mishra in Harvard Business Review nailed it for me. Simply, “influencer advice can overlook the day-to-day realities.” If you have a different take I’d love to hear it. https://lnkd.in/gC9tti3X #productmanagement #productleadership #realworld

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This week's Product Management takeaway🤗: Stakeholders aren't just anyone - they're individuals/groups impacted by or interested in your product. 3 Key Stakeholder Management Lessons: Lead, don't follow Prioritize, don't please Collaborate, don't dictate Effective stakeholder management = Successful product launch! Share your stakeholder management experiences! #StakeholderManagement #ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductLaunch"

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I’m wrapping up a year of fractional Product work, as I prepare to jump back into a full-time role (more on this soon!). I had never heard of fractional execs a couple years ago, and surely never imagined myself as someone who’d take a leap into such an amorphous career chapter. But after consulting with a half-dozen companies in the past year, I found a lot to love about the fractional model. Here were three unexpected learnings from my year as a fractional product exec 1️⃣ Fractional work was deeply fulfilling and rewarding. I was able to raise my hand to support leaders I admired, help friends launch new startups, and explore mission-driven companies adjacent to my own passions. Even though the roles were temporary, my role and impact were unexpectedly meaningful because I was selective about where to invest my time.  2️⃣ I was able to do some of my best work because of the sustained focus. This was an energizing luxury. I had not experienced this level of focus since I was much earlier in my career. But, as a fractional exec, I’d be tossed 1-2 projects by clients every couple weeks. Ten whole dedicated days to wrangle a roadmap, build a hiring plan, or lead customer discovery meant that I could be more thoughtful and intentional, without the drain of distractions. I learned to say no to meetings that wouldn’t push my work forward and would be wasteful hours for clients. 3️⃣ I precisely calibrated my capacity to show up better at work and home. In the wild world of startups, I was always ON. Through my experiment with fractional work, I learned my boundaries with unique clarity–the exact threshold when our family life would feel excessively hard or when my broader values and aspirations would feel back-burnered for too long. Fractional work allowed me to scale my work incrementally over controlled periods, enabling me to discover what interval / hours / locations work best for me. I have many more learnings I’ll share from my exploration into fractional work. Most importantly, through this period of discovery, I found a need and opportunity too compelling to only support fractionally and decided to take on a bigger, committed role. I’ll share where I’ll be extending full-time roots soon.

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And it is so easy to do — after a cutoff, new ideas are fine, but they belong in the NEXT release, not the one committed and in dev/QA execution. Why are the folks paid the big bucks always missing the obvious? Well, usually they are paid to. Meaning they have to strive for more (“raise the bar”). HOW they raise the bar is what differentiates the great c-suite genius from the incompetent dingbat.

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Ed’s post resonates deeply with me because I’ve seen this dynamic play out firsthand, multiple times in my career. His insights on the challenges product teams face and the misconceptions surrounding their performance are spot on. I’ve recently had close friends and colleagues impacted by the kind of short-sighted decisions Ed describes—where leadership concludes that replacing the product team is the solution, rather than addressing the underlying environment that’s limiting their success. It’s a painful cycle to witness, especially when the real issue is often a lack of consistent goals, poor communication of context, or unclear risk management from leadership. Ed’s point about minimizing distractions particularly hit home for me. I’ve worked in environments where the number of competing priorities left product teams paralyzed, unable to focus long enough to deliver meaningful results. Conversely, in places where leadership was disciplined about setting clear priorities and shielding the team from noise, the same PMs thrived and delivered incredible outcomes. The idea of involving PMs in understanding the business financials is another standout for me. In one of my roles, a lack of visibility into the financial drivers behind decisions made it nearly impossible for the team to align on priorities or make informed trade-offs. Once leadership started including us in those conversations, we saw a massive shift in productivity and impact. Ultimately, I think Ed’s advice to CEOs to focus on fixing the environment before replacing their PMs is crucial. Creating a space where PMs can focus, understand the “why” behind their work, and feel empowered to take calculated risks doesn’t just drive better results—it creates a stronger, more motivated team. Thanks, Ed, for articulating this so clearly. These are lessons every leader needs to hear.

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I want to hear a product story you're passionate about. (Edit for the Monday morning crew: the reaction to this post has been incredible. If you have PMs in your network who have amazing stories, I would appreciate a repost to reach them!) As a product manager, I know it can be hard to describe what we do to those around us. Our work often involves mountains of coded language, company and industry vernacular, and a variety of tasks and processes that can make it hard to describe. Yet, I love telling stories about products I've worked on. I can't be the only one, so I want to create a space for others to tell their stories in their own words. Let me be your audience. Any aspect of PMing is welcome. Your story could be prepared and practiced, or it could be the first time you've spoken it out loud. It could be about how you broke into product after years of trying, or accidentally stumbled your way in. Tell me about the thing you worked really hard on and you're proud to have launched. Give me way too much detail about how your users surprised you once your work was out in the world. I will listen to you vent about the nightmare stakeholder who almost torpedoed the entire thing, or lament the feature you've always wanted to launch, but have never successfully made the case for. I want to be clear: I'm doing this for fun. This is not an interview. I'm not going to come in with a set of prepared questions. Once you get going, I won't interrupt you. This is 30 free minutes to tell your story to someone who understands. And since it's just me on the receiving end, it's more talking to a friend than public speaking. I'm planning to record the audio of these sessions, but feel free to ask me not to. I don't know what I'm going to do with them yet, but I promise I won't start a podcast. PMs in my network: feel free to book a time (or, you know, text me, you probably have my number). I would also appreciate if you could share or repost this to widen its reach. Click the link below to book a time to tell me your story. https://lnkd.in/d6hwuQJ6

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This resonates deeply with me. 💡 📢 Wisdom from my co-workers that changed my perspective: "Problem statement first. It doesn't matter if this is an AI problem, some could be solved by simple automation. The most shining technology won't solve your problem." Too often, we jump to complex solutions without fully understanding the issue at hand. Remember: • Clearly define the problem • Consider all options, not just the trendy ones • Sometimes, simpler is better I’m reflecting recently on what we need technology for and empower. 💡 I’ve heard from a founder friend that he realized he'd strayed from his roots. Initially: teaching kids to code, solving real problems. Now: chasing shiny tech. Simple often trumps flashy. Are we solving real issues or just following trends? Thanks my manager Justin Yu and the smartest Eng team who inspired my reflection! Alan Lee Dragos Manolescu Have you encountered situations where a straightforward approach trumped a high-tech solution? Share your experiences below! 👇 #Engineering #ProblemSolving #TechInsights #AI #Automation #startup

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“If there is no clear owner, then it’s the PM that owns it.” I sat down with Esteban Contreras from #ProductState to discuss Product leadership, or Prioritization process at Productboard. We also dug into the concept of Extreme Ownership, which is a principle I firmly believe in. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVN47mWn #productmanagement #productexcellence #ownership

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Happy Wednesday from me and Santo! 👨‍💻 🐶 ❓ This month, I'm running a video series where I'll be answering some of the questions I get from product managers. If you have a question about product, shoot me a DM and let's chat! ✉ #productmanagement #productmanagers #careeradvice #askaquestion #askmeanything

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This is pretty cool—helping Jalen L., an aspiring PM, land interviews at big tech companies. 🙌 My PM journey wasn’t exactly easy. Even though breaking into PM went relatively well, transitioning into a consumer PM role was rough. I had no mentor. I had to learn everything on my own—reading books, asking for advice, and cold messaging people on LinkedIn or in different product groups. It also didn’t help that I had zero friends who were PMs. 💼 It took me almost two years and nearly 200 applications to land interviews and get a role. I took the long way. 📬 Last month, I started my newsletter to share my experiences and lessons. At first, breaking into PM wasn’t my focus—it was more about navigating the grind and growing in the role. But I soon realized aspiring PMs could benefit from hearing about that journey, too. ✨ It’s an amazing feeling—seeing people I’ve met on LinkedIn grow. And being able to provide the mentorship I missed in my early days. 👇 Drop a comment if you’re on a similar journey. ♻️ Repost this to share and reach more aspiring PMs.

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Stop calling it technical debt. We’re not fixing old code - we’re investing in our platform's future. As product leaders, we often struggle to get buy-in for these critical improvements because we're telling the wrong story. Here's what transformed our customer conversations: Instead of talking about refactoring legacy systems, we shared how we're strengthening our foundation to unlock new possibilities. Rather than discussing system complexity, we focused on how our platform investments directly improve reliability and speed. The magic happened when we stopped apologizing for maintenance and started showcasing the long-term vision. Our customers don't care about our code - they care about growing their business, staying competitive, and reducing risks. The key is simple - translate technical challenges into business opportunities. Customers want to hear about outcomes, not operations. #ProductLeadership #TechnicalStrategy #CustomerSuccess #ProductManagement

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Reader feedback for my latest post about how to use AI and my PRD template to never have to write a PRD from scratch again. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/eJjVXJUJ

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⚠️ I often see product managers, especially those early in their careers, making a critical mistake that stifles innovation - coming to teams with predetermined solutions, essentially saying "build/design/write this." ⚡️This fundamentally limits organization's innovation potential! 🌟 Here's why. 🔍 Through years in product management, I've observed that: 💡 1. Engineering teams, given proper context, architect more elegant and scalable approaches than initially envisioned. 🎨 2. Design teams, armed with deep understanding of user psychology, create solutions transcending initial concepts. 📢 3. Content teams, empowered with clear user needs, develop transformative messaging frameworks. 🚀 While not from my experience, here's a story that perfectly captures this challenge: During the Space Race, NASA invested significant resources developing a sophisticated pressurized pen for zero gravity. Meanwhile, another space program simply asked: "Why do we need a pen at all?" And offered... ✏️ Pencils! 📚 This story (while more complex in reality) shows why we shouldn't limit teams with predetermined solutions. Had engineers been told "develop a space pen," they might have missed the simpler solution. 💡 Beyond this simple example lies a deeper truth: 🔹 1. Each professional brings years of domain expertise that we might not possess 🔹 2. Technical teams often see possibilities and constraints we haven't considered 🔹 3. Designers understand user behavior patterns that could lead to breakthrough solutions 🔹 4. Content teams know how to articulate value in ways that might completely transform the product approach 🔹 5. Innovation often emerges from the intersection of different perspectives and expertise ⚡️ By narrowing the solution space to a single person's vision, we miss out on the collective expertise and creative insights that could lead to breakthrough solutions. ⭐️ The truth is: our 💎 greatest value 💎 as product managers comes not from dictating solutions, but from unlocking the full innovative potential of our professional teams through the power of collaboration and trust. What do you think? Share your thoughts below👇

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PSA for my product friends: I managed to scrape together the time to take Shreyas' "Improving Your Product Sense" course last week and have never in my life been so happy to have spent 30+ hours on Zoom. I'll never approach product sense or strategy the same way. As you'd expect: The content is challenging and compelling. The course is well-run. The community is whip-smart. Shreyas himself is humble, direct, and engaging. But the real unlock is that -- if you are open to it, and invest time and effort -- this course will change how your brain works. No going back.

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Thrilled to have completed this intuitive course with Pendo.ai! The content kept me hooked from start to finish, and I'm excited to apply these insights to enhance product experiences for my customers. #Pendo #ProductManagement #ContinuousLearning

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This post by Gagan Biyani is gold.. Below is my take away Finding the right customer segment is also an iterative process, you need to figure out If ( 1. The customer segment is winnable? && 2. The customer segment is worth winning? && 3. The customer segement's problems are of high importance and current solutions provide less satisfaction?) { greeting = "You are one step closer to PMF"; } Else { greeting = "Rinse and repeat"; } #ProductMangement #ProductMarketFit #ProductManager #PMF #Startup #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #ProductStrategy #CustomerSuccess #LeanStartup #MarketResearch #ProductMarketing #TechStartups #Innovation #ScalingUp #ProductDevelopment #CustomerRetention #BusinessStrategy #ProductLaunch #MVP #Agile #ProductLeader

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