David Bard

Check yourself before you wreck a product manager’s career. Is a PM on your team struggling? Before writing them off, take a look at systemic issues. This isn’t just about fairness; it is essential to ensure you aren’t going to repeat the same problem with your next hire. Some organizational issues to watch out for include: * Is the PM role clearly defined and understood in your org? * Does the PM have the resources they need to execute effectively? * Has the PM received enough support as they ramped up? * Does your org communicate effectively across departments? * Do you have clear product-market fit, or are you still searching? And some tough questions to ask yourself: * Have you put in the time to establish a relationship with the PM? * Have you made it safe to come to you with problems and questions? * Were you clear about what it takes to succeed on your team? * Have you provided the air cover they need to make tough calls? If you answered 'no' to many of these questions, consider whether the issues you observe in a PM’s performance may actually be symptoms of more fundamental organizational problems. (Check back in the comments soon for a longer article on this topic.)

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Does your company have one role accountable for the entire Product Journey? It should! But this role shouldn't be long-range product R&D. It should be shorter-range Product Management. Does that sound strange? This article explains the difference and highlights why Product Management needs to own the complete product journey but they are not accountable for each step in that journey: https://lnkd.in/gsaAKN-a

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Wow, it is nice to see some of the impact the course I authored with Designlab is having on teams both big and small. Emilyann Gachko thank you for sharing this case study and how it was received by the team at The Home Depot :) If you are interested in increasing your design skills through #usability and #accessibility check out the course. #ux #design #hcd https://lnkd.in/gEdC3NBV

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🚀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! In the latest episode of the "UX Consultants Lounge," I chat with Elizabeth Creighton, owner of Brazen, about scaling your UX consultancy through newsletters, online courses, and investing in your deliverables. Plus, we discuss the emotional journey of having to pause your consulting practice in order to take a leave of absence and how to bounce back. Tune in for practical advice and inspiring stories that every UX consultant can relate to and learn from! 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱: 🔹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Elizabeth discusses how starting a newsletter helped her connect with clients, maintain visibility, and generate new business. She shares practical tips on managing the workload and gaining subscribers. 🔹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀: Elizabeth explains her experience developing a user interview skills course on Maven. She provides insights on choosing a platform, balancing course creation with client work, and the impact of teaching live cohort-based courses. 🔹 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀: Elizabeth shares her experience in hiring a presentation designer to elevate the quality of her client and course presentations. She shares the value of investing in high-quality templates to improve professionalism and efficiency. 🔹 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Elizabeth and Kyle also touch on the challenges consultants face when needing to taking breaks for personal reasons, like maternity leave, and how to bounce back afterward. 💬 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀: "𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦.” “𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥; 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵.” 🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝘄: You can find The UX Consultants Lounge on your preferred podcast platform, or visit the podcast website to listen to all the episodes (𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀). 💡𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲:  You can easily jump around to different parts of the interview using the chapter links in the embedded player on the podcast website, YouTube, or your favorite podcast player. - - - - - #UX #Consulting #UXConsulting #Freelancing #UXFreelancing #UXPodcast #UserExperience #BusinessStrategy #WomenInTech #UXResearch #ConsultingLife #Newsletter #OnlineCourses #PresentationDesign

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If you are looking for a simple process to land that amazing new role in product, and quickly level up when you get there....grab a copy of my ebook: Land a New Role and Step into Leadership in Product Be sure to grab a copy. This simple approach will help you LAND an amazing role in product. Comment LAND, and I’ll send you a link to the playbook! #productmanagement #productmanagers

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Interesting thing I've learned about building a benchmarking tool is that what a lot of early adopters actually want is an influencing tool. Completely reframes product features. Example: Old feature: Auto generated board reports 1. Choose metrics 2. Generate Graphs 3. Download as pdf/ppt New feature: Show me the stories I could tell with my data. 1. Here are the stories you can tell 2. Choose story 3. Generate metric benchmark graphs that help tell that story 4. Suggest narrative 4. Download Excited to see where peoplemetrics.fyi goes :-)

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Join me and other experienced product leaders on July 17 as we share insights on the power of coaching circles. If you're craving growth, guidance, and a boost in your product management career, don't miss out! 📅 Applications for the upcoming coaching circles open on July 12. Join the waiting list to receive the latest updates: https://buff.ly/3VPac0f #ProductManagement #CareerGrowth #CoachingCircles #PMCooperative #Women In Product

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Going from being a Senior Product Manager to being a Director of Product is painful. You might feel like an idiot 95% of the time. This is because leading a team of product managers is a radically different role from being an individual product manager. 3 ways Product Leader stay on top of their game: 1. They understand metrics in the context of being a director because their metrics will look different from those of an individual Product Manager. 2. They tie the dots between different product areas. 3. They know how to divide the scope among the different product managers they're leading.

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Most companies blur lines between innovation, design, and invention. The truth: each one is it’s own champion: 1. Innovation: That's the realm of your product planning and strategy team. They're the visionaries who conceptualize offerings that solve customer problems better or more cheaply. 2. Design: Your development team takes the reins here, transforming concepts into tangible products that can be manufactured, sold, and used throughout their lifecycle. 3. Invention: This is where your R&D team shines, pushing the boundaries of what's possible with novel technologies and methods. The takeaway: winning products only happen when teams understand their role and work together.

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Product Rockstars in tech....It's not about strategy. It's not about frameworks. To play big...it's about the soft skills. Yep....your EQ is critical to level up and lead. You need to master the human side of work.  Treating people with respect Understanding how to communicate Executive presence Managing politics (yep...,I said it) Treating people as human beings To level up in the world of tech....it's about the human game. #productmanagement #techleaders #womenintech Are you ready to level up into leadership? Are you ready to learn how to play the human game? Respond with 'yes' and I'll send you my E-Book on The Next Generation of Leadership in Product

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If you've ever been asked why a company needs Product Management 👀 . Come join this ProdPad webinar and learn from Matt LeMay how to prove the ROI of your product work, the product team and the discipline as a whole. Useful knowledge to have these days - whether you're defending your function, fighting for more resource, or just want to feel good about yourself ☺️ Register here 👉 https://hubs.ly/Q02sws6M0  #productmanagement #productmanager

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Strategic Storytelling for product leaders was a fab session yesterday with TopProds community led by Ross Webb, MBA I love the takeaways below. I’m always intrigued and impressed with what people learn from my talks… helps me refine the message also. An amazing feedback loop. Thanks again for inviting me 💪🏻 —— My focus is on bridging worlds within organisations and sectors with a focus on creating amazing customer & product experiences. I’m passionate about bringing an element of creativity back into to the product conversation. 📞 DM me if you want to know more. Available for consulting gigs (short term / long term / fractional engagements) #productstrategy #productmanagement #digitalproduct #storytelling #leadership

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How do you build a mission-led team after you find product-market fit? I had a great conversation with Dr. Christian Sprinkmeyer, Chief Product Officer for tonies®. “First it is about demonstrating product-market fit. But afterwards, it's really important to understand the ambition and the mission. And then it's crucial to build the organisation in a way that perfectly caters to this mission,” he says. Here’s here’s the key points from the case study: 1. You can find product-market fit with third party technology. But to keep innovating, you may need to own the technology. 2. Hire for the ambition, not the status quo. Bring in people to help you build the right culture. 3. The team structure needs to follow the strategy. For Tonies, this was enabling the growth in new markets, then improving the core product, then introducing new product innovations. 4. You need to find a balance between strategy and skills required when organising teams. For Tonies, their platforms nicely aligned with the customer journey. 5. Give teams missions, not feature sets. This enables you focus on user problems and create more customer impact more quickly. 6. Don’t try and introduce a new approach all at once. Use pilot teams to demonstrate the benefits of a new approach and find stepping stones like giving platform teams missions. 7. Use pilot teams as a way of helping the team learn new capabilities and skills. Share the approach to help the wider team learn. If you’re undergoing or thinking about a transformation to ‘a product operating model’, this is a great example to explore. So many great insights. Thanks Christian! You can check out the full article on Substack here: https://lnkd.in/gVjwN9AT #transformation #productoperatingmodel #missionledteams

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📢 Announcing a New Community for Product Leaders When I was a Chief Product Officer (CPO), I often felt isolated, without anyone to share my struggles and insights with. Upon transitioning out of that role, I coached many others facing the same challenges. To address this, four years ago, during the pandemic, I gathered six fellow CPOs, and together we founded the Skip Community. The Skip Community facilitates conversations that you simply can’t have anywhere else. Discussions like: - How do I navigate working with my boss, who is also the founder? - I’m starting my job search… what interesting positions are you seeing in the market? - How should I manage a layoff? - I’m about to hire a second-in-command, has anyone worked with her before? - I had a huge win at work, can we celebrate together? - I’m concerned about the management team’s culture, should I consider leaving? - Is it worth exercising this stock? - How should I evaluate these three job offers? - Should I double-down on my core product or split part of my team to innovate? - Has anyone run an M&A process before? - Ugh… today was a tough day… While there are many valuable product communities, ours is unique due to the trust between our members. We prioritized quality over quantity, slowly growing by adding a few heads of products each quarter for several years. Last spring, we realized that many of the up-and-coming PMs we knew could benefit from a curated, trusted community. Could we expand our close-knit group and retain the quality of conversation, but accelerate the next wave of leaders? Although we are still only 1% complete, I’m thrilled to share that we now have over 75 Skips in our community, adding new members each month. Visit us here at https://skip.community One of the many products that Skip will eventually deliver is a community for every tech professional. None of us should feel alone in our jobs. We all face questions and challenges that others have already solved. Connecting with the right people at the right time can make all the difference. While we are growing the group slowly to maintain trust, we maintain that trust is crucial, even if it we desire to expand to thousands. If you want to join and know an existing Skip member, connect with them for a nomination. We prioritize referrals and manage a waitlist. And if you can’t join Skip yet, I encourage you to create your own support group. Having a network to support you on both good and bad days is a key unlock to your career. Let’s build this together. #ProductLeadership #TechCommunity #SkipCommunity

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If you are looking to make the get into Product Management you need to focus on these 3 things. I like to call them the three "Cs." ☑ Confidence ☑ Competent ☑ Comfortable CONFIDENT: You need to be CONFIDENT in your CURRENT skills, talents and abilities. Oftentimes, we short change ourselves and that actually shows up in how you present yourself to others within your current company, hiring managers and recruiters. Literally being confident is 60% of the battle. COMPETENT: You need to understand your skillset, talents and abilities and where you can add value. Companies are interested in what you can do for them (sidenote, you should also be interested in what they can do for you. It is a two-way street). But, also know where you have gaps. Know what you know and know what you don't know. COMFORTABLE: You need to be comfortable articulating YOUR VALUE and get comfortable with saying no. Yes, saying no. If you are comfortable articulating your value then you know for a fact when that value cannot be realized in that particular position. In order to grow you have to know where you can contribute. The best way to get ready for transition is to position yourself to get the position. That is why The Agile Product Dojo we have created the Pivot to Product Accelerator. It is designed to give you Confidence, give you the knowledge in product (Competence) and the Resume and Interview skills to Comfortable as you look to move to another position. If you are ready, doors close at the end of the week. DM me if interested and lets chat. Also, come tomorrow to our Bi-weekly series called "Welcome to the Dojo" This week we will hear from Deshana Cabasan, CSPO, CSM and how she made the Pivot into Product without a tech background! Link is in the comments! Please share! #productmanagement #productmanager #careerdevelopment #agile #productleadership #PivotintoProduct

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DESIGN STRATEGY ALERT MAXIMIZING PROFIT OVER PERFORMANCE WITH DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS In product development, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the highest quality design will always yield the best results. However, when we dive deeper into the intersection of market feedback and cost analysis, a different picture emerges—one that varies significantly depending on the market segment. Here’s a challenge I faced: - In a project, I collected detailed requirements from different target segments, understanding their unique needs and expectations. - These requirements were translated into various conceptual designs, each tailored to the specific segment—ranging from basic materials and functions for low-end consumers to premium finishes and advanced features for luxury segments. - I then gathered feedback on each design. This resulted in a range of prices for each design variation, specific to the quality expectations of each segment, from lower-quality options to top-tier ones. - Using machine learning, I created price curves for each segment. - Simultaneously, I developed cost curves that accounted for all associated costs—manufacturing, quality control, and more—again, tailored to the segment. When these curves are superimposed, they reveal an optimal quality point where profit is maximized for each specific segment. Interestingly, this point isn't necessarily the design with the highest quality but the one that balances cost and price most effectively within that segment's context. 🚨 Strategic Takeaway: For any given market segment, it's crucial to select the design that maximizes profit, not just the one with the most features or the highest quality. Each segment has its own "sweet spot" where quality, cost, and price align perfectly to meet market needs and drive business success. By focusing on this optimal balance for each segment, we can ensure that our products are competitive in the market and profitable for the business. This approach underscores the importance of data-driven decision-making in product design. It's not always about going for the best; it's about finding the right balance that aligns with your target market segment's expectations and drives profitability. How are you using data and analytics in your design and pricing strategies? #ProductDesign #Strategy #MachineLearning #DataDriven #ProfitMaximization #ProductDevelopment #BusinessStrategy

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More UX and Product leaders need to hear Diana DeMarco Brown (she/her)'s wisdom. Diana is a pioneer in the UX field who takes a thoughtful and nuanced approach to assessing the current state of the tech industry. In our recent conversation, Diana shared many insights, including: - How to evaluate a company's culture during the hiring process - Why private equity ownership can result in design divestment - How Product and UX leaders can effectively influence business decisions - Why we don't need to panic with the rise of AI, but we need to think critically and prioritize regulation during this early stage Link to our full conversation: https://lnkd.in/eemDimVb

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Nice! That fits with the definition I've been using for ages: A Product Team is a group of people who can: 1. Ask a question 2. Get an answer 3. Understand that answer 4. And take action based on that understanding It doesn't have anything to do with who comes to stand up, who takes Jira tickets, or even reporting lines. If you don't have a group of people that get together regularly who can do all of the above, then all you've got - at best! - is people who can push code into production & make it look pretty. And that's just not good enough. Clifton Gilley - shout if you're up for a chat sometime.

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