Seth Hodgson

What's not being good at interviewing costing you? "I just cannot seem to interview well. I have lost out on roles to people who used to report to me." I was speaking to my client—let's call him Steve. He was a smart, accomplished product leader who had led successful launches of products you have probably heard of. He launched multiple hit products, drove millions in revenue, and all that jazz. But Steven had a problem—a big one. Despite being a total PM rockstar, he still interviewed like he had seven years ago. When he was interviewed, the impression he left was "Great product manager, not leadership material yet." Ever felt like you're the most accomplished person in the room, but when it comes to interviews, you can't seem to convey that? That was Steve. Do you know who didn't choke on interviews? The PM's Steve personally trained and mentored. That's right - Steve's own pupils interviewed well rose above their sensei by having better storytelling and positioning, and the executive presence and confidence that got them further in an interview. His pupils had risen to levels above him. Can you imagine how emasculating and demoralizing that must have felt? To have your star pupils, whom you groomed from scratch, outshine and outearn you just because they could describe their achievements better? Steve had already missed out on many years of success, new roles, and millions of dollars because he was worse at interviewing. He felt the sting of watching others, who he knew he was more qualified than, climb the ranks and achieve the success he deserved. This wasn't just a financial loss but a blow to his self-esteem. He wanted his kids to look up to him and be proud of his accomplishments. Enough was enough. He decided he couldn't afford to lose out anymore. He came to us as Intentional Product Manager, determined to turn things around. We worked with him to refine his narrative, boost his interview skills, and truly represent the outstanding professional he is. It took work, but he got there. The result? He's achieved a prime role at a company you would have heard of and now makes over a million dollars annually. Not only did he secure the financial success he always deserved, but he also earned the respect and admiration of his peers and, most importantly, his family. But as importantly, he carries his skills and executive presence every day. --- P.S., If this resonates with you, and you: - Are a product manager - You love to take action - You are committed to career growth But if you need help in landing that ideal next role. DM me "dream role" and I will send you details. We only work with selected folks and have started to limit how many people we accept every month.

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Saw another #AI investment announcement today. The kind that leads with "they're the only ones who can do X." Everyone's searching for certainty. Technical moats. Defendable advantages. Something solid to point at. I get it. I've spent countless hours in competitor analysis. Truth is, there's nothing they're doing we couldn't build. Nothing we're doing they couldn't build. Even foundation models - last month's "unbeatable advantage" is this month's "matches open source." The whole industry is speed running through the stages of grief about this. Denial (only we could build this). Anger (they copied us). Bargaining (but our implementation is special). Eventually you hit acceptance: We're all building in uncertainty. That's not a bug, it's the whole game right now. Some of the smartest investors I talk to have already figured this out. They've stopped trying to find certainty and started evaluating teams on their ability to navigate constant change. Building something valuable in 2024 isn't about finding stable ground. It's about learning to dance on shifting sands. EDIT: ignore that last post. someone hacked me. Just wanted to share that we've developed a completely unique approach that's truly impossible to replicate. Our implementation is special. We're different. (This is definitely me posting this)

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A company’s product/technology org being called “EPD”, “PED” or some other acronym standing for "product, engineering, design" is a strong smell that the company is a political mess. If that org is called "R&D," it's a smell that means the company is run by finance/MBA people. Why finance, btw? "R&D" (research & development) is a legacy term — certain payroll/etc costs are tax deductible, based in the old-school manufacturing mindset that "product development" was just an investment or cost center, and not revenue-generating as it is in software.

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Today I am launching a new video that walks you through the new Copilot Studio UX that was released at Build 2024. Many have asked to get details on where everything moved and how the new UX works. This video gives you all of that in detail. #copilot #copilotstudio #power #ux #author #Build2024 https://lnkd.in/eq_xFNU8

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Polls can be a cheat code for earned media, and a great way to build authority. But there are levels to this. Here's how one of the best I've seen - Capital One - does it. (And what I'd do differently to increase earned coverage). Led by Shena Ashley, PhD, Capital One's Insights Center is a masterclass in leveraging polls to create unique insights that would do incredibly well via earned syndication. Here’s what they do great: ✅ Content that sticks: Crucial issues > fleeting trends. Focusing on topics like financial stability, mobility, and entrepreneurship, it's easier to rationalize investment on topics with a longer shelf life. Their insights + stories can drive coverage for months to come. ✅ Visual storytelling: Data doesn’t have to be dry, and Capital One presents original insights through clear and eye-pleasing visuals that are easy to understand. Publishers like charts, they love colorful charts, and they LOVE colorful charts that are easy to understand. Check, check, check. ✅ Strong methodologies and extensive polling numbers: Capital One frequently involves 7k+ participants in their studies - they are not half a**ing it. Well explained methodologies are table stakes to get your polls covered, and Capital One does a great job outlining their data collection process, sample size, and research methodologies.   ✅ Easy to steal: Each report has multiple easy to take stories/soundbites, and are also written as full pieces of content, which can be taken as whole. Finally --- if I could change one thing... Add a byline. Brand publishing NEEDS a byline - no news outlet wants to cover a story that can't be credited back to a human. All in all, polls can be incredibly valuable for driving earned syndication - check out Capital One's Insights Center in comments for killer examples.

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Unique opportunity for design leaders and innovators to learn from the amazingly talented designer and author Kevin Bethune: figure out ways to break through the glass ceiling of misunderstandings and friction when collaborating with tech and business peers. Learn ways to build stakeholder empathy, strategic influence and a renewed sense of optimism that you can translate diverse insights and inspiration into meaningful innovation.

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It's time to get real about what makes or breaks tech. Ignoring user needs. Humans have a ten-second attention span. That's all the time you have to convince them to like your product. Confuse them- May the bridges you burn light the way. Overwhelm them—They can outpanic a Xanax; what's ur superpower? Annoy them— lose their trust forever. To solve this, we must focus on meeting the user four basic needs: 👉 security 👉 connections 👉 individuality 👉 growth Ethical Assurance: because nobody likes a shady algorithm. Emotional Connection: think pacifier on steroids. Cognitive Clarity: It's all about making genius look easy. Social Integration: as a Tiktok user I get annoyed when I speak to (non Tiktok users ) Aspirational Empowerment: This app is a lifesaver! 99% of apps fail... why? Because 'big tech' egos are involved, making it about themselves. Or whatever open-source project they piggyback from. Forgetting this is about them 👇🏻 The users. Got it? Mazel. #AI #UXDesign #Innovation #TechForGood #HeartwareAI

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I was asked recently by a longtime client about org design, as it pertains to product and technology in software companies. He asked whether product reports into technology or if technology should report into product. I said: neither. The best organizations I've seen have had two parallel verticals: one for product headed by a Chief Product Officer (CPO) or similar, and one for technology headed by a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). There should be a combination of tension and respect between those roles, and there should be very specific areas of ownership. I've seen these two rules work well: 👉 Product can't tell technology *how* to build it. 👉 Technology can't tell product *what* to build. Remember when I mentioned mutual respect? If tech says, "We need time to implement some security stuff," product shouldn't say "Bfft. I'm in charge here. Just keep focusing on those features." Instead, they should talk about it, product should understand the "why," and they should work together to figure out how to appropriately prioritize the work. I realize this may be a pipe dream in some orgs, where it seems like product and tech are at each other's throats all the time - but striving for this state of being will notch up your ability to deliver as a unified organization to drive revenue goals.

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Take it from me, there’s no better way to learn excellent and practical ways to overhaul your experimentation efficacy! Erin makes critical thinking fun and highly accessible in this workshop, June 11:

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Let's Talk About The Real Reason For All These Tech Layoffs. I'll recklessly speculate in my new article for Inc. Magazine https://lnkd.in/evq6CTvS #innovation #technology #startup #ai 

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Listening to this podcast right now about the "enshittification" of tech (their words, not mine!). It's a good listen to understand at a macro level what's happening. https://lnkd.in/eETbYdZQ

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So glad I have an AI avatar to handle these awkward conversations #AIFeedback #productmanagment _____________________________________________________ Edited to Add:   Wow, I've been getting tons of questions about how I made this avatar.  To be honest, it was surprisingly easy, and I only needed one tool: HeyGen Here's a quick rundown: Head over to HeyGen, record a short 2-minute video of yourself talking (it might take a couple of tries to get it just right), then upload it. In a few minutes, boom - you have your very own avatar. From there, just add your script, choose the tone, and in seconds you'll have a video ready to go. They even have options to remove the background or create more dynamic videos if you upgrade to the premium account. But for this one, I just used the free features and it worked great!

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The first step in fixing a problem is first admitting there’s a problem. In that spirit, here’s a short video summary of culture anti-patterns on Eng / PM / Design teams. (might help explain what you have seen on your current team or on previous teams)

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