Key Takeaways: "Stop Saying Product-Led"
Core Argument
- "Product-led" creates political resistance: When you say a company should be "product-led," other departments hear "product wants to be the boss"
- Better framing: Replace "product-led" with "becoming strategic" - everyone wants to be strategic without feeling threatened
Why "Product-Led" Fails
- Defensive reactions: Sales, marketing, and engineering teams feel their expertise is being devalued
- Blame magnet: When you position product to "lead," every failure becomes product's fault
- Jargon barrier: Industry terminology like "dual-track discovery" excludes non-product people from conversations
- Framework obsession: Teams get caught up in perfect implementation rather than delivering customer value
The Strategic Alternative
Being strategic naturally includes everything "product-led" promises:
- Customer obsession (understanding your market)
- Data-driven decisions (evidence-based strategy)
- Iterative approach (strategy evolves with learning)
- Outcome focus (making choices to achieve specific results)
- Cross-functional collaboration (strategy requires all departments)
Practical Actions
Start being strategic immediately without waiting for organizational buy-in:
- Play "This or That": Force strategic choices through trade-offs (growth vs. profitability)
- Ask Why 5 Times: Move from solutions to strategic objectives
- Think 10x: Push beyond incremental thinking to strategic territory
- Focus on problems: Talk about business problems you're solving, not features you're building
Show Don't Tell
Most effective approach: Stop evangelizing methodologies and demonstrate strategic thinking through:
- Bringing customer voice to every conversation with evidence
- Showing up with insights, not opinions
- Tracking what matters: retention, revenue impact, market share
- Making bets that consistently pay off because they're evidence-based
Bottom Line
Strategic thinking gets you everything "product-led" promises without the political baggage. It's inclusive rather than exclusive, focused on collective success rather than functional dominance.