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Nishrath A. is a freelance copywriter, currently working with Civic Champs, a technology company that helps nonprofits manage their volunteers. As a freelance copywriter, her primary goal is to help businesses communicate their value in a compelling and effective way.

When she isn't working, you will find her staring intently at Visual Studio, trying to find bugs that have invaded her code.

Nishrath A

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this #mtpcon San Francisco talk, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliatwilliams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natalia Williams</a>, CPO of HootSuite, reflects on her journey as a product manager, the things she learned in her 20+ years of experience, and how you can leverage these lessons to evolve your company for the better.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watch the session in full or read on for key points:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">3 lessons learned from her mistakes</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ways to ignite change in your team</span></li>
</ul>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">3 lessons learned from her mistakes</span></h2>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lesson 1: It&#8217;s not all about you</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a product manager, your most important job is to build something that provides value to your customers. One of the pitfalls that many people fail to recognise is Confirmation Bias. Confirmation bias is a tendency where people accept information that is similar to their existing beliefs. As a result, you might validate a product that resonates with your mindset but fails to meet customers&#8217; needs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&#8217;s ok to not have relevant experiences with the customer&#8217;s problem. As Natalia says, &#8220;You don&#8217;t need to be a hero&#8221;. Ask others so you can find the best way to answer your customer&#8217;s needs.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lesson 2: Be open to feedback</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Communication is arguably the most important aspect of making a great product. As Natalia explains, &#8220;You have to bring your team along the journey and communicate&#8221;. Some tools you can use to do that include:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>The One Page, One Hour pledge</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Encourages people to share sufficient information for quick feedback.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;</span><b>Strong ideas loosely held&#8221; concept:</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Share your ideas with others and have open-minded conversations about them. Seeing your ideas from others&#8217; perspectives and experimenting with them allows you to gain insight into whether the product indeed has potential in the market.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lesson 3: Embrace change</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ideas shouldn&#8217;t be static; they should be dynamic. If your product does not provide a valuable experience for your customers, it&#8217;s time to change the experience. Don&#8217;t let your personal relevance prevail over customer needs.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ways to ignite change in your team</span></h2>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 1: Start high-cadence communication</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;There is no such thing as overcommunication from a product perspective,&#8221; says Natalia. Build a steady flow of communication with your team, leaders, and customers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many options exist to streamline the process of communication, but Natalia shares the ones she incorporates into her life, including:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sending weekly slacks and emails to the entire department.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interacting with multiple customers weekly.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 2: Agree on what good product managers look like</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clarify the responsibilities of a product manager across the whole organisation. Whether it&#8217;s a skillset or behavioural attributes, outline the capabilities of a product manager to reduce the chances of false assumptions and improve the rate of satisfaction within a team.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 3: Talk more, silo less</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oftentimes, you get so focused on your goals and mission that you forget to interact with others outside of your bubble. However, there is no successful product without teamwork.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Natalia suggests, &#8220;Find ways to build bridges across your organisation.&#8221; Talk to your team members to develop a mutual understanding of values and experiences. Talk to your customers to gain insight that can help you deliver exactly what they need. One piece of advice that Natalia shares is that during interviews, use words and languages that differ from those of your team members and reflect your care for your customers.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key takeaway from this talk is that with the rapid changes in the marketing landscape, the pressure to build the right product is higher than ever. A good practice is to avoid working alone and collaborate with others. Communicate your ideas, validate them by listening to feedback, elevate your trial experiences, and then only you can create sustainable products for your business.</span></p>
<h3>Want to turn the learning from this talk into action?</h3>
<p>Our exciting #mtpcon San Francisco 2023 <a href="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/resources/mtpcon-san-francisco-2023-keynote-kit-sign-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keynote Kit</a> brings you all of the insights from our San Francisco keynote talks plus additional helpful discussion points and thought starters so you can easily translate the insights into actions – perfect for making effective improvements to your role, team, and product. Plus, get an email notification when each talk is published! <a href="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/resources/mtpcon-san-francisco-2023-keynote-kit-sign-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up now.</a></p>

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Product Management Conference

Product teams in flux – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Berlin

AI in practice at Berlin’s leading companies – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Berlin

AI in practice at Amsterdam’s leading companies – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Amsterdam

Product teams in flux – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: London

AI in practice at London’s leading companies – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: London

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The future of product management – Trisha Price (CPO, Pendo)

The future of product management in 2024 and beyond (Brian Walsh, SVP Product, Pendo)

Lessons learned from leading products by Natalia Williams

Nishrath A