Why building products is a bit like training to run a marathon. — I used to run quite a bit and loved it. The preparation for a race, the build-up, was often comparable to the excitement of launching a new product. As with most things I’m interested in, I immersed myself quite a bit in running literature. The excellent Biography Paula Radcliffe ‘My…

Few skills are as crucial to a product manager as the ability to negotiate, so why don’t more folk take the craft of mastering negotiating as seriously as they do the role of being a product manager? — A skilled negotiator influences people and results. They make change happen. Move projects forward. Lead teams to victory. Get paid more. And make more profit for their company. Negotiation is one of the most undervalued skills you can learn. The World Economic Forum rated negotiation as one of the top…

To take the time to…To create, to think. — Too much to do, not enough time? Do you find yourself in a constant cycle of meetings for meetings? Not finding the time to do your work? or worse think? Give yourself permission to ‘Stop’. Schedule time for yourself. Schedule time for yourself. The world will not stop turning. The same problems will exist when you come back. As…

You cannot improve what you cannot measure This phrase has a long history and was first attributed to 19th-century public health pioneer Dr Joseph Lister. Lister’s idea was that shining light on specific public health issues was the most effective way to address them. In another sense, sunlight is also…

Many self-help books say, ‘to be successful; you must read every day….’ — I agree, but there is a vast difference between being a lifelong reader/learner and a lifelong student of ‘learning to understand’. Take me, for example; I read books, a lot of books. But do I ‘understand’ these books enough to describe them to my 7-year-old son? …

Before trying to lead, you must get the basics right. Becoming a leader means you have to be prepared to make decisions. You can’t make a decision if you don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s why before jumping in and leading, it’s important to get your foundations solid first. …

I was introduced to this phrase by an old boss and mentor, Stephen Prendergast, earlier in my career whilst working in a more business operations type role at Aol. On more than one occasion, whilst leading ‘live’ operations or launching new products, issues occurred when the team, me included, failed…