What is a Product Leadership Strategy? Detailed Overview with Examples
Product Leadership is a fancy way of saying, “making sure your product is killing it.” If a product is successful, people will use it. If the product is useful, customers will enjoy using it.
Product managers are in charge of much more than just managing products; product leadership needs to be clearly defined.
Though it is frequently debated, few people agree on what it implies.
Therefore, we’ll discuss and examine product leadership in this post, including its definition and practical use.
Let’s get into it;
Table of Contents
What is a Product Leadership Strategy?
The product leadership strategy is a key component of the product management process.
It’s the foundation on which everything else is built. This is because it provides a clear vision for your product and helps you measure its success (or failure).
A great product leadership strategy will help you:
- Create a compelling vision that drives your business forward.
- Define what success looks like for your product and how to measure it.
- Create an environment where people can thrive and be empowered to do their best work.
→ Related content: Program Managers vs Product Managers
3 Broad Areas of Product Leader’s Responsibilities
Here are three key areas where your business may benefit from having a dedicated Product Leadership strategy:
Owning the product direction
Product leaders envision where they want to take the product and how it fits into their company’s larger strategy. They think holistically about what their product needs to accomplish and how it will affect both users and the business over time.
Building the team
Product leaders hire, develop, and manage their teams so they can succeed in delivering on that vision. They identify new opportunities for growth within their teams, including hiring new talent and finding ways for existing team members to grow professionally.
Establishing the product organization and processes
Product leaders establish an effective product organization structure, including roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships between different groups within their organization. They also set up onboarding programs for new hires and create clear processes around decision-making so that everyone is aligned with the same goals.
Why is Product Leadership Important?
Product leadership is crucial because it provides product teams and Product Managers with the strategic direction and space they need to concentrate on creating better products.
PMs and Product Owners may focus on what they do best because product leadership handles the development process’s high-level management.
Product leadership handles the broader, overarching strategy to propel effective product development processes.
→ Related content: Product Team Structure
What is an Example of Product Leadership?
A good example of a company doing product leadership well is Netflix. The company has always been known as an innovative leader in consumer entertainment technology. It was a pioneer in streaming video content over the internet, with its pioneering streaming service, Watch Instantly, launched in 2007.
Since then, it has continued innovating by introducing new features such as “smart” recommendations based on user ratings of movies/TV shows they have watched in the past, personalized recommendations based on user inputted preferences, and social media integration so you can share what you’re watching with friends.
What Makes a Good Product Leader?
Product leaders are the heart and soul of a company. They are responsible for creating products that people love, and they are often the ones who will grow with the business and help it scale.
While there’s no one way to become a product leader, here are some traits that successful product leaders typically have:
1. Innovative Mindset
A good product leader has an innovative mindset. They are always thinking about how to improve their products and make them better. They also know that innovation isn’t just about technology; it’s about improving business processes and workflows.
2. Entrepreneurial Thinking
A good product leader thinks as an entrepreneur does. They think about how they can take risks, fail fast, and learn from their mistakes quickly to move forward with their ideas. They don’t wait for permission or approval from others before taking action on something new or different — they do it!
3. Metrics Obsessed Visionaries
Good product leaders love measuring things and analyzing data to see if they’re helping or hurting their company’s overall performance. They want to know if their customers like their products and how often they use them — but they also need to know how much money each customer spends with your company each year, as well as how much revenue each customer generates for your business every year (or at least try to).
4. Passion for the Product
The best product leaders have a deep passion for their products. They’re always looking for ways to improve them and make them better. They know they must have a passion for the product and a strong desire to improve it. And if they have a strong desire to improve, they can lead others who share their passion.
5. Ability to Pick and Lead Great Talent
The ability to pick out great talent is crucial for any product manager who wants their team members to succeed at their jobs and produce high-quality work.
Product Leadership Competitive Advantage
Product Leadership’s competitive advantage is that it can be sustained over time. The first company to invent a new product or service will have a strong competitive advantage over later entrants into the market.
However, after some time, competitors will catch up with the new product and develop their own version. This is called “product imitation.” If the original product is successful, it may face competition from copycats who try to improve upon its features or create something similar but better than the original.
Product leadership can be difficult to sustain because it often involves high investment in research and development (R&D). This can make it hard for companies with less capital to keep up with innovation and new products.
→ Visualize project goals in an easy-to-understand format with User Story Map by ProductGo here.
Final Words
Product Leadership ultimately ensures that the product continues to evolve and thrive in a dynamic environment. The most effective Product Leaders can unify the vision and create a cohesive team environment where talent can flourish and the product is developed for the betterment of all. As a leader, you should know the keys to developing successful products and avoiding common pitfalls.
As a product leader, you have many responsibilities and tasks to manage. It is challenging to always be aware of what your team is working on.
For this reason, many product leaders use the Agile user story map & roadmap tool that helps them visualize their project goals in an easy-to-understand format to stay on top of the latest developments in their team members’ work.
