Post on 16-Apr-2017
Leadership principles on the way to the successful product company
Nazar Bilous - CEO, Founder
All team had service background
lametric.com
Service company Product part of Lemberg
What works on this way?
Separate office space for product team
lametric.com
• Customer obsession • Industry knowledge • Top-down thinking • From impossible to possible • Deep debates to find a truth • Focus on results
Product atmosphere
It’s not about smoothie, it’s about culture!
Hire people with right values (or select such from service)
lametric.com
• Prefer ambitious • Generalists • Customer fans • Good abstract thinking • Do more than expected • Solve problem with efficient tool • Tend to build mechanisms • Special attitude to product
Product people
It’s about passion!
Balance team with different visions
lametric.com
Product vision
Engineering vision
Art vision
Point of View Customer System Art
Priority Benefits Features View
Resource feeling Limited Unlimited Unlimited
Value Benefits Stability&Scalability Love
Entire team should learn product vision!
lametric.com
Art vision adds heart to the
product
Engineering vision adds skeleton to the
product
Product vision adds human being
characteristics to the product
Share business objectives
lametric.com
• Share business vision • Share product strategy • Share marketing strategy • Share sales strategy • Constantly learn who are your customers
Combine team around mission and sales!
lametric.com
LaMetric mission is to decorate home&business environment with intelligent objects which enrich interior and
get back people to natural information perception
We start from clock category by building company on the edge of consumer electronics and home decor industries
Challenge the product team
lametric.com
1. Fix budget 2. Set deadline 3. Set high expectations 4. There are no exit strategy 5. Take money from the market and commit 6. Increase pace of personal growth(10x) 7. Make product, get results
Crowdfunding is awesome for product development!
Accept hot debates as part of the culture
lametric.com
• Be curious • Ask questions • Ask different questions about the same thing • Argue your solution • Transform the product into human being • Get truth together • Learn each other to listen • Don’t leave the room, discuss to the finish • Customer needs is the judge
Leaders take final decision but listen to the whole team!
Test UX on “choleric” personality
lametric.com
If UX works for “choleric”, it will work for all!
• Why I need to wait so long? - Make it faster • Why it’s so ugly? - Make it more “sexy” • You will know the real state of the product
from “choleric” faster • Get feedback and improve
Frugality in all decisions
lametric.com
• Designers will design (drugs effect) • Engineers will develop (drugs effect) • You all need result as soon as possible
Stop consuming engineering drugs and train team frugality!
lametric.com
or develop own eCommerce
or develop own support system
or develop own reporting system
What approach is better?
Invent and simplify
lametric.com
1. The result of innovation is complex at the beginning 2. Think 3. Iterate 4. Simplify and add love 5. Make the last mile! Most companies don’t make it.
Last mile makes your product!
lametric.com
Drive team with own example
• Leaders setup culture • Leaders setup pace • Leaders in the one room with a team • Share same challenge • Share nights • Help and develop your team
At the end of the day team reflects leaders!
Be curious and dive deep
lametric.com
• Stay connected to details even it’s not your job • Audit details frequently • Ask deep questions from your perspective • Don’t afraid to ask foolish questions • Be hungry for detailed answers
Small details will save product from a lot of problems!
Everyone should earn trust inside the team
lametric.com
• Be transparent with team members • Give everyone personal challenge • Help newcomers • Share responsibility with progress • Decrease control with progress • Hire Slow, Fire Fast - he/she can be Player B,
attitude to the product is the main factor
Champion Team will beat Team of Champions!
Get engineering support from the service experts
lametric.com
• Involve service team into engineering challenges • Brainstorm, discuss, involve • Get niche knowledge from similar projects
Service experts will save you time/money!
Delegate only when understand
lametric.com
1. Build first results with core team of generalists 2. Understand process 3. Put in the system 4. Describe 5. After early stage start delegate and grow with
specialists 6. If you involve external organisations - control vision
Don’t seek for easy way!
lametric.com
@getlametric
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info@lametric.com