Leading product teams: #mtpcon highlights

As we eagerly count down the final three weeks to our flagship event, #mtpcon London, it’s worth reflecting on the plethora of discussions surrounding product leadership that have graced the #mtpcon stage! Check out our top picks from the archives.

Is your innovation project on track? by Tendayi Viki

In the opening keynote session at #mtpcon London 2022, corporate innovation expert and award-winning author Tendayi Viki, Associate Partner at Strategyzer, discusses the importance of placing product people at the heart of business model design, to innovate and achieve aligned outcomes.

Key takeaway: Tendayi explained how product people should actively engage in business model design and innovation by considering the entire value chain, running experiments based on evidence, and focusing on delivering customer value within a scalable and profitable framework. This is imperative if product people aim to achieve effective innovation and create value for customers.

Watch the full talk here

Product Tetris: The ultimate game of leadership by Georgie Smallwood

Georgie Smallwood, CPTO at Moonpig, knows a thing or two about product leadership – you don’t get your fourth CPO title without learning some strong lessons along the way. In this keynote from MTP Engage Hamburg 2022, she shows us how product leadership is not only relevant to people at the top table.

Key takeaway: Georgie underscores the importance of leadership in product management, the need for a strong foundational approach, and the necessity of adapting and making decisions based on the current circumstances. Product management is likened to playing Tetris, where the goal is to assess the situation, adapt to changing circumstances, and keep moving forward.

Watch the full talk here

Scaling product teams for fun and profit

Whether you’re going from 0 to 1, 2 to 10, or 50 to 100 it can be disorienting when your team size multiplies and product lines scale. In this #mtpcon Digital Americas keynote back in 2021, Claire Vo CPO at Color, former CPO at Optimizely covered the skills, processes, and non-negotiables to rely on as your product org grows significantly.

In her talk, Claire shared a set of valuable insights and advice for successfully managing and leading a product organization as it scales and grows.

1. Organizational design: Claire emphasized the importance of designing the product organization structure for future growth, rather than hastily filling positions. Creating a structure that aligns with the company’s strategy is essential.
2. Effective org chart: Clearly defined roles and strong alignment between product and engineering teams are crucial for success. Claire said to empower teams and reinforce the organizational structure.
3. Minimize hierarchy: While some level of hierarchy is necessary, Claire mentioned to be open to change and restructuring as the organization scales to ensure agility and adaptability.
4. Proactive career development: Product leaders and managers should proactively define their roles and career paths. It’s important to communicate how their roles benefit the organization and map out career goals.
5. “Give away your legos”: Claire said to avoid becoming possessive over products, features, or processes. Be willing to let go and focus on new opportunities and innovations.
6. Leverage Product Ops: Good operations can accelerate growth and streamline processes. Leaders should either excel in operations themselves or hire someone who does.
7. Continuous improvement: Leave things better than you found them. Continuously improve systems, processes, and documents, and build a portfolio of improvements for career advancement, Claire explained.
8. Empower teams: Provide structure and organization, but also empower teams to optimize their workflows and processes.
9. Articulate the future: Share the company’s vision and set clear goals that the entire product organization can work towards. This helps teams think broadly about the future.
10. Take risks: Encourage risk-taking, even in a scaled organization, to maintain a sense of small-team ambition within a larger structure.
11. Have fun: Finally, Claire explained how scaling should feel exciting and enjoyable. Make it your responsibility to create a fun and positive environment during the scaling stage.

Watch the full talk here.

If you want to elevate your product management game and witness inspiring and actionable keynotes at our flagship #mtpcon conference in London, then you can secure your place to #mtpcon London today! Happening on 20 October, additionally the day before (19 Oct) choose from 7, in-person workshops or our half day Leadership Forum. We hope to see you there!