Inspired Work
You sit in a three-day product strategy session. The walls are covered in sticky notes. You’ve listened to hours of presentations. There are hundreds of ideas. There is excitement in the room. The group is onto something big. We are going to build the next big innovation that will make our company stand out from
My favorite quote is from Teddy Roosevelt: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat
Leadership presence is when we motivate and inspire others. What is presence? Is it being fully available to others? Is it how we speak to and work with our teams? Presence is a little bit of all of these. I recently found a great definition of presence. Presence is a state that can be defined
How can Technologists/Product Managers Collaborate more Effectively? It seems so simple yet it can be so difficult. How do you collaborate with engineers, architects, product managers, and UX designers? Many times each person has a different background, is fairly senior in their knowledge of their specific area, and can become a bit uncomfortable discussing things
What is a good development plan? How do development plans grow individuals to be leaders? Are all development plans the same? As we approach the ‘review’ cycle within each of our organizations, how do development plans fit into the reviews of key leaders and high potential employees? Here are some ideas, sometimes controversial, of key
To Build Innovative Products….Get Out of the Office As product managers we spend countless hours looking at market trends, competition, technology, and customer requests. However, will this help build innovative products? I contend that this process enables you to build a product that satisfies basic market needs. But this process will not generate breakthrough product
Disagreement as the Road to Innovation In the Ted Talk, Dare to Disagree, with Margaret Heffernan, the concept of collaboration, conflict and disagreement is discussed. How many of us have collaborated with our co-workers, who were similar to us in personalities and skills? Collaboration with people who are similar to you will only get you so
There are two key roles to successful change in organizations: the role of the sponsor/change leader and the role of manager as change agent. There are many other roles, but these are the most important based on my experience being part of change. The first critical role is the change leader. When I look at
The largest organizational issues associated with conducting a social network analysis are the culture and the organizational goals and strategy. If the culture is one where people are overworked, are not trusted nor empowered, and do not understand the corporate strategy, then the SNA will not give accurate results. If people do not feel trusted
How do you create engaged employees in an organizational environment where change is constant, competition is high, and finding the right talent is challenging? As companies focus on profitability, where does employee engagement fit in? What are some common threads in highly successful organizations with empowered employees? Tie your culture to your business strategy. Consider
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