When people aren’t sure what’s wrong, they often refer to it as a “communications problem.” But this is seldom the real problem. The next time someone lays a “communication” issue on you, try this: “That sounds interesting. Help me out. Describe specifically what you see happening and why it’s a problem.” This should get the […]

I’m usually not a fan of infographics. They’re overused and typically not that good. But this one from visual.ly regarding meetings was an unexpected find on Pinterest. I recommend checking it out for Product Management professionals. The take-aways for me were: Respect the value of attendees’ time – a single meeting can literally eat up […]

Niccolò  Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) was an Italian philosopher and writer. He is best known for his work The Prince. Most people think of this work as a political science or philosophical treatise. It’s also used in management training. But I’ve always thought that Machiavelli had a lot to say that’s relevant to start-ups, product management, new […]

Great post on The Software Maven that should help all product managers. A nice application of how to use the scientific method and some common logical fallacies to avoid. When you’re gathering data to validate your market or product, pay attention to the following: Confirmation Bias – “Are you asking questions to find the truth […]

I just finished reading So What?: How to Communicate What Really Matters to Your Audience by Mark Magnacca. This book really opened my eyes. I found it highly applicable for product managers. The premise of the book is that your message should focus on what your product can do for your customer. There’s nothing new […]

I just finished reading Talk Less, Say More by Connie Dieken. It’s full of great tips on how to relate to your audience in order to connect with them and ultimately to compel them to act. This book is highly applicable to product management. You’ll learn how to better pitch your concepts, your products, and your […]

I was catching up on some old posts for some of my favorite blogs. The Slow Leadership blog has a great post on “Conscious Incompetence.” If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly first. In the real world, doing something new almost always means doing it poorly the first few times. Improvising never […]

Leadership expert Art Petty shares some tips on listening with intent. “Listening with intent isn’t a technique, it’s a personal value backed by behaviors that cause us to shift from the movie about ourselves running in our own minds to focusing on the movie or picture being created by another.” When we understand the needs […]

I was chatting with a co-worker about a Logic class she was taking. This brought back memories from my college days – I minored in Philosophy. It also led to the inevitable discussion about how one’s education applies to their profession. Many people assume that I acquired my Marketing expertise while earning my MBA. Likewise, […]

Jeb Stone posted some great insights on Venture Beat about why startups should be competing on data and how their investors can help. What if VCs provided centralized analytics and data management resources as part of their investment in startups? Giving startups the tools and resources they need to compete on analytics would give investment firms and […]