Weekly Product Hits: Sales Instead of Logistics, Business Continuity, Cognitive Load
Product Hits: April 28, 2025Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Sales, not logistics by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, warns that jumping into logistics before securing buy-in is a critical communication mistake. She urges PMs to frame requests around impact and motivation first, using her "sales, not logistics" approach to drive action and influence stakeholders more effectively. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery by Heather Abbott Heather Abbott, partner at AKF Partners, challenges product leaders to own disaster recovery as a product responsibility. She warns that without proactive design and cross-functional alignment, outages can escalate into major business failures. Cognitive Load by Victor Cheng Victor Cheng, VP of Product at LivePerson, argues that cognitive load (the brain's limited bandwidth) must be actively managed like any other resource. He urges PMs to minimize mental overhead by automating admin work, streamlining recurring tasks, and focusing attention only on the highest-leverage priorities. Behind the ScenesHey there, it’s Clement! I’ve been reflecting on how experimentation shapes lasting products. If we want our products to stay valuable over time, we can’t just rely on what worked in the past. We need to make space to test ideas, learn quickly, and adapt as we go. Building that kind of culture doesn’t happen automatically! We have to take deliberate steps to make it happen. Here’s where I recommend starting. Bring people along early. We need early alignment from engineering, design, and go-to-market partners. Set the stage by sharing why testing ideas systematically leads to stronger products over time. Show examples, not just arguments. When teams see how structured experimentation has led to wins, it makes the approach feel much more practical. Start with small, visible experiments. You don’t have to overhaul your roadmap overnight. Run a lightweight test. Pilot a feature change. Share what you learn openly. The strongest product teams I’ve worked with treat experimentation not as a side project, but as part of how they improve week over week. How have you made experimentation part of your team’s DNA? I’d love to hear from you! With love, Let's do more together!
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Product Teacher
In-depth essays and thought-provoking reads for product managers.
Product Hits: April 21, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! PhDs Aren't Starting Companies Like They Used To by Nnamdi Iregbulem Nnamdi Iregbulem, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, examines how the growing burden of knowledge and lack of division of labor discourage PhD-level talent from entrepreneurship. Therefore, PMs who work with PhDs like data scientists or ML researchers can attract and empower PhD talent by implementing...
Product Hits: April 14, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Too detailed by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, emphasizes the importance of tailoring communication details to the audience and context. She advises PMs to reduce cognitive load by focusing on clarity and actionable takeaways. Aligning Teams Around Strategy by Victoria Wisot Victoria Wisot, Partner at AKF Partners, outlines seven practices to keep teams focused...
Product Hits: April 7, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Weighted ACV by Nnamdi Iregbulem Nnamdi Iregbulem, partner at Lightspeed Ventures, introduces "Weighted ACV" (WACV) as a more insightful metric for SaaS businesses. Unlike traditional Average Contract Value, WACV accounts for revenue concentration and highlights the customers driving the most value. Iregbulem encourages product managers to use WACV to prioritize...