The AI Hype Cycle in Silicon Valley 🤪, Common Discovery Mistakes 🚨, Are Product Director Roles "Better"? 🏢🪜, Leading When It’s Not Your Decision to Make 🏇
What should you read this week. Weekly Recap 2024-06-25 🔁
👋 Hey, Sam here! Welcome back to the weekly edition of The Product Trench. Each week, I recap a handful of interesting articles and stories related to product and leadership, in addition to my original monthly practical tips and stories on eclectic topics.
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Here are my favourite articles this week. Let's jump straight into it.
Will AI Flop Because of Bad Product Management? (5 min read)
The hype around AI often leads companies to focus on marketing over quality, resulting in poor product market fit and reliance on subpar data. To avoid failures, businesses should deeply understand their market, invest in high-quality data, and emphasize long-term product development. Prioritizing these aspects can ensure AI delivers meaningful results and sustains business growth beyond initial hype.
Common Product Discovery Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (6 min read)
You can avoid lengthy discovery phases by timeboxing and focusing on continuous discovery. Test assumptions methodically to validate ideas and mitigate risks. To avoid selection bias, interview a diverse range of users, not just existing ones. Use multiple data sources to cross-check insights and avoid single-point failures. By addressing these common mistakes, you can streamline your product discovery process and make more informed decisions.
Moving Up to Product Director (2 min read)
Transitioning to a Product Director role involves a significant shift from product-focused tasks to managing people, building cross-functional relationships, and aligning team strategies with company goals. Directors spend more time on HR responsibilities, fostering team development, and less on direct product work. It's crucial to introspect if this leadership path aligns with your career goals, as it offers increased responsibility but less hands-on product management.
How to Lead When It's Not Your Decision to Make (7 min read)
Leading without decision-making power requires influencing others through effective communication, building trust, and collaboration. Focus on understanding the decision-makers' perspectives, aligning your team's goals with broader organizational objectives, and demonstrating value through data and results. By developing these soft skills, you can guide your team successfully, even when final decisions are out of your hands.
👋 That's it for today! Thank you for reading, and enjoy your week! See you next time.
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