Read Time: 6 minutes.

Hey,

This week has been a rollercoaster, and I share the story underneath. From losing a client to launching a podcast, I share with you what is happening behind the scene.

I also share a new extract from the book on defining a digital leader.

Remember that you can give me feedback anytime on the newsletter here, and you can participate in the Reverse Podcast here​

Thanks for being part of the journey!

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Behind the Scene of a Rollercoaster Week - Product Stories

​Read the web version here!​

This week has been a rollercoaster, and in the 15th edition of the Product Heroes Newsletter, I want to share another extract of the book’s first chapter and what happened.

The life of an entrepreneur is full of ups and down.

As a community, we are missing an opportunity. We are not being authentic and showing what is happening.

The talks are about perfect morning routines, the best hacks people found to enhance their productivity or the fact they have found a new client.

I make a parallel with product management.

As a product manager, I always felt that life sometimes was quite lonely. You couldn’t necessarily talk with the rest of your teammates as you can’t express your feelings towards the organization, your boss or the strategy taken by the organization.

You have to be there for your team, the client, the organization, and the business.

It makes the role unique and challenging at the same time.

Maybe I was wrong in the way I saw it. It came from bad experiences where I trusted people with information, which backfired.

The bottom line is we need to show what is happening.

We often need to find allies in our organization. We also need to find supporters outside the organization.

The problem is how much transparency we are ready to put out there.

As I said, this week has been a rollercoaster.

I started the week with a down.

I lost a contract which changed some of my plans.

On top, the government sent me a letter. The kind you want to avoid receiving asking me to pay taxes and penalties I was unaware of.

And this derailed my Monday; I was on the phone with them all morning, trying to understand the problem and where it was coming from. The letter was no longer accurate; however, whatever my routine, it went down the drain quickly.

This is the reality of our jobs.

Things happen—things we couldn’t predict.

We must find a way to be more transparent about it and find the support we need.

It’s not just pretty. We have personal matters that can affect our days and life. We bring those emotions with us.

As the week went by, I also had my fair share of success for the week.

I started participating in Project Stealth, organized by Tom Youngs.

I unlocked a contract with a client I have been working with for months to help them with one of their products.

The launch of a new podcast

Finally, I launched live a new project - the Digital Leadership Decoded Podcast.

Does that mean I have two podcasts at the same time? Yes, it does. Except the two have their target and purpose.

The Reverse Podcast lets you be the story's hero and ask the question you want about Product Management.

The Digital Leadership Decoded Podcast will be a discussion I have with expert guests on digital leadership.

The idea came from the book.

I wanted to research experts in the field and give them a voice in the book.

I leveraged the opportunity to share my discussion with them with everyone. It will make the book multidimensional: by writing, audio, and video.

The Digital Leadership Decoded Podcast aims to offer a deep dive into the intricacies of leading in the digital realm.

I will have insightful discussions with expert guests from various domains, discussing strategies, challenges, and pivotal moments that define successful digital leadership.

I run it live on Linkedin, Youtube and Twitter to spice things up.

I want it to be different, and you can participate by sending us comments and questions to my guests.

We received terrific support from Denny, Grant, Moe, Tom, Deepak, Maria, Regis, Evie, Fatima and Ayush.

The first episode was with Pat Bergstresser, a Product Manager at Zillow and US Navy Veteran.

During our discussion, he shared his past and the leadership lessons he learned in the army. We exchanged those lessons and what he brought to his product manager role. The great thing is that he also shared some insightful strategies that apply to all of us.

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You can review the recording here.

I hope you will enjoy the first episode I had.

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Continuity of the chapter “Welcome to the world of Digital Leadership.”

Digital Leader - A role based on translation skills

A crucial part of the Digital Leader’s role lies in their ability to integrate every organizational function and unit. The aim is to promote a comprehensive understanding and application of technologies.

We see many organizations claiming to be product-led. Yet, their approach often mirrors an IT service rather than being integral to the strategic decision-making process.

The product team is part of the tech team and is seen as a service. In return, the product team is playing the waiting game. Waiting for requesting and executing commands like a terminal.

The role of a Digital Leader transcends conventional responsibilities.

In my career, I evolve my skills to hone the bridge role, linking the technical and business aspects within the organization.

However, retaining such individuals within traditional businesses can be challenging.

The tech industry tends to recruit those with an ability for digital translation, inadvertently disrupting their bridging role within the business.

Recognizing these individuals’ unique positioning within the organizational structure and ensuring appropriate sponsorship is vital.

It’s a role that requires playing an active role, pushing and testing the boundaries. Being assertive and leading with authority. While at the same being patient and resilient.

The role has to break the wall of misunderstanding.

They must push against the ingrained separation between tech and the business side. This gap has been allowed to grow for too long. It blocks companies from becoming digital and is the root of many problems.

To break this wall of misunderstanding, the Digital Leader must leverage their unique position as a bridge and translator.

They have to champion the integration of tech and business by advocating for shared goals, transparency, and collaborative decision-making.

Those leaders have to gain skills in the three areas above:

• True Productivity - Driving efficiency and effectiveness in operations. A Digital Leader must identify areas for improvement, streamline processes, eliminate waste, and ensure that projects are executed within timelines and budgets. They should aim for the optimal utilization of resources and foster a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.
• People Mastery - The bedrock of leadership is exceptional interpersonal skills to manage and inspire teams. A Digital Leader must cultivate trust, encourage open communication, and promote collaboration across departments. They have to be able to resolve conflicts and motivate team members. They must also be efficient in stakeholder management, understanding their needs, navigating politics and influencing them.
• Digital Expertise involves a deep understanding of technology and how it can be leveraged to drive business growth. This requires staying updated with the latest technological trends, understanding how to implement them within the business context, and making strategic decisions based on this knowledge. It also includes understanding and analyzing data to make informed decisions.

What strategies can Product Leaders use to integrate every organizational function and unit?

In my observation, many professionals remain passive in their roles. “What can I do if management is not listening? How can I change what they think? How can I influence when I have no authority?”

Those questions are blocking the mind of people and their actions. We all have authority in a certain way. The myth about “influencing without authority” is nonsense.

Another clickbait saying that people say on social media. It sounds good and catchy on a tweet, but that’s about it.

In reality, think about it, have you ever bought something or followed someone without thinking about their authority in the domain?

It doesn’t matter what position they were in or if they are in the company you work in. You may have followed them because they were knowledgeable or someone said they were the authority.

An influencer on social media has no authority over food, music, clothes or in your life. Yet these people are followed by millions who buy their products or recommendations.

Authority is a tag we put on ourselves.

It’s a decision we make. And it all boils down to leadership. We have a vision, and we want to make it come true.

People rarely go beyond their responsibilities to create change. This is a missed opportunity, as proactive engagement enhances individual growth and aligns with the organization’s vision.

A misconception I often encounter is the assumed opposition between work and life. We spend half our awake time at work or working. Opposing them can only create unhappiness.

The transformation journey from being a passive follower to a leader to a proactive leader isn’t overnight; it requires a culture shift, evolving work methodologies, and a mindset upgrade.

In one of my experiences, this transformation took about twelve months to complete, involving a complete change in the team’s mindset and the introduction of new metrics. This shift became noticeable over time by others. They wanted to join our team. They looked at our habits. Our change provoked a ripple effect throughout the rest of the organization.

It’s important to remember that a top-down, company-wide change often fails without the active involvement and empowerment of everyone below.

Slack is the perfect example. How many projects for better collaboration have been pushed by company management? How many succeeded? Slack came out of nowhere, was adopted by people on the ground, and then pushed to the rest of the organization.

If you want to transform genuinely, it’s far more effective to cultivate a team responsible for the change, eventually becoming a strategic asset to the organization.

To be continued…

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Tell me what you think about this topic, and send me any questions you have:
​In the meantime, as we discover this topic together:

• You can access my website and productivity system here​
• Sign up to participate in the Reverse Podcast here​
• Let me know what you think about the newsletter and how to improve it here​

Thanks for being part of the journey!

Phil

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