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Most new CPOs assume their biggest weakness is not knowing the product, tech, or business well enough. They’re wrong. The real blind spot is the customer.
Taking over product from a founder or longtime exec is one of the toughest jobs in product. The founder has poured years into building the product and it’s often deeply personal to them. Letting go isn’t easy. That’s why it’s critical to establish clear ownership early. As CPO, are you setting the strategy and vision, or are you primarily responsible for execution? If the founder still drives product direction, you’re functioning more as a VP of Product than a true CPO. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a different role.
If high-profile leaders like Brian Chesky (Airbnb) defecting from the idea of product management has got you feeling the pressure to justify your team’s existence, this one’s for you.
Walking into a CPO role without setting expectations is a recipe for failure. Every executive will have their own idea of what ‘product’ means. If you don’t define your role, they’ll do it for you.
When entering a new industry, starting at a new company, or working in a specialized field, preparation is your friend. If you hear a stakeholder use a term you don’t recognize, write it down and look it up. You can even build a glossary of definitions and acronyms and study it to help you converse with them.
Have you ever left a meeting thinking everyone was on board, only to have the plan unravel when one stakeholder reverses course afterward? Here’s a technique to surface those hidden misalignments:
When leading a stakeholder meeting, consider starting with an intentionally flawed idea. Invite the group to evaluate it dispassionately and agree on why it doesn’t work.
When you are trying to gain alignment between stakeholders, and you are unsure of how close you are, try using the Fist of Five technique. Ask each participant to hold up a number of fingers between zero (no confidence) and five (complete confidence). Then ask low scorers to articulate their doubts.
One insight I had, one great article I read, one amazing person I met, one question I need your help with, one product job that needs someone awesome. Sign up and I promise never to waste your time.
If you want to succeed as a CPO, learn to code-switch. You are not there to change people; you are there to connect them so that their efforts dovetail. See more at CPO.studio.