Enterprise Product Leadership

In this episode of the Enterprise Product Leadership podcast, join me as I chat with Rob Dyson about the importance of cybersecurity in Industry 4.0. Episode details: Cybersecurity in Industry 4.0: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, with Rob Dyson  I have a fascinating show for you today. My guest is Rob Dyson. Rob has decades of experience in the security space, and he is currently the Global OT and IoT Security Services Business Development Leader at IBM! In this episode, Rob and I had a wide-ranging conversation about the impacts of cyber security in Industry 4.0 transformations, including: How cybersecurity can derail an Industry 4.0 transformation What is driving cybersecurity risks in Manufacturing How companies can create a culture of cybersecurity And much more This is my second episode in collaboration with IBM, and it is an information-packed episode that no product leader should miss! About Rob Dyson With more than 30 years of experience in the Information Technology field, Rob Dyson has held technical and leadership positions while providing IT services for many companies within multiple industries.  Rob is currently the Global OT/IoT Security Services Business Leader within IBM's Global Security Services practice. He is responsible for building, operating, and maturing our OT/IoT security business to help companies mitigate their OT & IoT cyber risks. Rob has experience gained from serving some of the largest global companies in multiple industries. He has served as the Client Executive for some of IBM's most strategic clients. Prior to this role, Rob served as the Global SSRC (Security, Strategy, Risk & Compliance) Competency Leader whereby he was responsible for developing unique and relevant solutions to assist clients in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their information security program. This includes designing solutions to establish relevant information security strategies, comprehensive IT governance processes, redesigning security organizations, effective security policy management and governance processes, and compliance with leading security standards/frameworks and regulations.  In addition, Rob has been at the forefront of delivering leading IT GRC solutions based on market-leading IT GRC applications such as OpenPages ITG, RSA Archer, and SAP GRC. Prior to joining IBM, Rob held senior leadership positions at Accenture as the Global Leader for Application & Infrastructure Security Services; at Deloitte as the Mid-America Region Leader for Security Services; at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in positions of escalating responsibility providing IT professional services; and as an Officer in the U.S. Army where at the rank of Captain he was in charge of the 82nd Airborne Division Data Center Operations. Rob is an active CISSP and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. To learn more about Rob Dyson and IBM's approach to cybersecurity in Industry 4.0 Rob Dyson on LinkedIn IBM Monitor and secure industrial operations ABB and IBM Bolster cybersecurity for industrial operations Make cybersecurity a core element of your Industry 4.0 roadmap Learn how Industry 4.0 technologies are changing Manufacturing Get started with the visibility of your OT & IT assets Want to learn more? Sign up for my newsletter at danielelizalde.com/join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit danielelizalde.com/podcast for additional information, show notes, and all episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, so you don't miss out on any of my conversations with Product and Thought Leaders!

I have a fascinating show for you today that is part of my collaboration with IBM. My guest is Jose Favilla. Jose leads the global Industry 4.0 initiatives for IBM. And with over 30 years of experience in the field, Jose gives us a masterclass on Industry 4.0, including where it started, how it has evolved, where it is today, and where it is going Tuning in, you'll hear the importance of edge and AI in driving the value of industry 4.0, how this technology enables companies to predict and prevent failures from occurring, and how companies can use the power of AI to improve the maintenance, quality, and efficiency of manufacturing plants significantly.  In this episode, Jose and I discuss: The importance of Edge and AI in driving the value of Industry 4.0 How to scale your Industry 4.0 initiatives How to select the best vendor for your digital transformation And much more.    About Jose Favilla Jose Favilla leads Industry 4.0 at IBM. His 30+ years of extensive experience working with clients in over 30 countries helps them improve operational and business performance. Jose has accumulated an in-depth understanding of the asset-intensive industries, including natural resources, processes, and discrete manufacturing.  Over his career, he has applied advanced analytics, optimization, AI, IoT, and Blockchain technologies to drive innovation. He has had the privilege of working with leading clients around the world to create new approaches and technologies to solve their complex business and operations problems.  Jose has been recognized as one of the top industry experts at IBM and was invited to be a member of the inaugural class of the IBM Industry Academy in 2011. Jose has chaired and spoken in numerous conferences around the world and published extensively and has won several awards in recognition of my achievements. He mentors new talents, MBA students at the leading US universities, and CEOs.   To learn more about Jose Favilla and IBM's Industry 4.0 Jose's LinkedIn profile Learn about IBM's approach to Industry 4.0 [Video] Manufacturers are using AI on a hybrid cloud with IBM [Interactive] Industry 4.0 scalability and flexibility [White paper] Industry 4.0 [Article] How the convergence of OT and IT is driving Industry 4.0     Additional case studies for Industry 4.0   Want to learn more? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and all episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, so you don't miss out on any of my conversations with Product and Thought Leaders!

Today we are joined by the pioneer of the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) theory, the inventor of the Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) process, and the founder of Strategyn, Tony Ulwick. When Tony was working as a manufacturing engineer for IBM in the 1980s, the company launched their PC Junior product. The colossal and expensive flop of this product led to Tony’s interest in product planning and the goal of his career to develop an innovation process that would prevent or mitigate the risk of failure. As someone who has become a world-renowned expert on innovation, today he joins us to discuss some of the problems companies face in their innovation initiatives. We talk about the challenges of understanding the needs of customers in a b2b context, how different methodologies such as Jobs-to-be-Done, Agile, Lean, and Design Thinking fit into the product life cycle, and the need for a unified innovation language across your company. Listen in to find out what the three most important things are that a company needs to be in alignment on, as well as Tony’s advice to anyone new to the Jobs-to-be-Done framework. This is an information-packed episode that no product leader should miss, so tune in today!   Links From Today’s Episode: Anthony Ulwick Tony Ulwick on LinkedIn Tony Ulwick on Twitter  Strategyn  IoT Product Strategy Template Daniel Elizalde Newsletter Daniel Elizalde

Pricing your products is key to successful products. But what is the best pathway to finding you optimum prices? Mark Stiving returns to the show today to unpack his approach, which uses the concept of customer perceived value as the foundation of a price structure. This actionable conversation is sure to give you plenty of ideas for how to set your prices in order to suit your market and keep your business growing! This actionable conversation is sure to give you plenty of ideas for how to set your prices in order to suit your market and keep your business growing! The last time we had Mark on the show, we talked about his book, Win Keep Grow, in which we got some clarity on subscription models for business, so if you missed that episode make sure to go back and check it out. Mark is a real authority on the subject of pricing, having worked in the space for almost 30 years now, and his insightful answers to today's questions will definitely make pricing seem less obscure and complicated. Mark explains his approach of emphasizing value and using this as a guiding force for your prices, and he also goes into evaluating your customers' willingness to pay you, and the experiments you can run to gain more knowledge. We touch on the 'good, better, best' model, price increases, and much more, so make sure to joins us for this fantastic conversation!   Links From Today’s Episode: Mark Stiving on LinkedIn Impact Pricing Win Keep Grow Mark Stiving on Twitter IoT Product Strategy Template Daniel Elizalde Newsletter Daniel Elizalde

Today we are joined by expert discovery coach and prominent thought leader on the topic of product discovery, Teresa Torres! Teresa is the author of the powerful new book, Continuous Discovery Habits, and in our conversation, we get to dig into some of the most impactful components of the book, as well as some great examples that showcase how the frameworks she espouses can work in real-life situations. Teresa shares the discovery process she uses when working with clients, and we spend some time on the concepts of product trios and opportunity solutions trees, which are powerful ideas from Teresa's book. Our guest gives some great recommendations for how product leaders can get started with the project of continuous discovery and we also get to hear from her about what the new landscape of digital products requires from professionals in the field. Links From Today’s Episode: Product Talk Teresa Torres on Twitter Continuous Discovery Habits Peter Drucker Empowered Strong Product People IoT Product Strategy Template Daniel Elizalde Newsletter Daniel Elizalde

Today’s guest, Charlie Key, is the Founder and CEO of Losant, a leading development platform for IoT products and services. On this episode, Charlie shares plenty of insights into how Losant has achieved success, including key milestones that have shaped the company, the importance of having a customer-centric approach to innovation, the challenges of building enterprise-grade products, and how Losant has evolved to incorporate technologies like edge computing to better serve their customers. He kicks off the episode by sharing a glimpse into his career journey, meeting his co-founders, and the inception of Losant. We touch on the ways in which the pandemic has changed all aspects of business, the importance of adapting with new data, and why Losant is always working on micro-pivots behind the scenes. Charlie reveals the three-part thesis that fueled the inception of Losant and the surprising results of customer research during the initial phases of the company. Next, we discuss how Charlie used the V2Mom model to build Losant: Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures. He tells us about the customer-centric approach he has taken to building his company and unpacks the process of selecting a target market, before talking about the value of including instrumentation in your research. We conclude our conversation with a few thoughts on emerging technologies, and how Losant has integrated them into their product offerings. We hope you tune in to hear from this expert in the field today.! Links From Today’s Episode: Charlie Key on LinkedIn Charlie Key on Twitter Losant IoT Product Strategy Template Daniel Elizalde Newsletter Daniel Elizalde

Today we get an amazing insider's look at how Workday, one of the most successful enterprise software companies in the world, approach product strategy! To help us in this quest, I am joined by Connie DeWitt, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy Workday. We have an illuminating conversation in which our guest shares a whole lot of wisdom and expertise about how she and her team have been so successful. Workday started as an enterprise HR solution and has grown at an incredible rate into a multi-billion dollar organization, expanding its product portfolio to Finance, HR, and planning solutions. As most B2B leaders will know, this sort of scaling is extremely difficult to pull off, and their array of global products stands testament to the consistent and sustainable success they have achieved. Our guest gives us the low down on her approach to portfolio decisions, how the product teams are organized at Workday, and the unique way in which she and the company tackle the task of linking product management and product strategy. Join us today for an insightful conversation no Product Leader should miss! Key Points From This Episode: Connie's current role at Workday, how she joined the company, and the services they provide. How Connie approached portfolio-wide decisions, what to invest in, and finding the best intersection of opportunity. The model that Workday uses to nurture products at different stages of their life cycles. The art and analytics of the decisions around which products need more investment. Connie's reflections on working at various sized companies and how the experiences compare. Measuring the ROI and the efficacy of product strategies; Workday's use of the RDI metric. How the product teams are organized at Workday and the product pillar structure of the company. The marriage of product strategy and product management; what sets Workday apart in its approach. Analytics and measurement and how Workday work to constantly improve and increase ROI. How to think about evaluating a team's ability to execute a strategy. The innovation cycle at Workday; Connie and her team's creation of a process for this. Connie's advice to product leaders and how to answer the two most important questions about product strategy! Links From Today’s Episode: Connie DeWitt on LinkedIn Workday BCG's growth-share framework IoT Product Strategy Template Daniel Elizalde Newsletter Daniel Elizalde

Transitioning to a subscription model is not easy but the challenge is worth it because SaaS products provide a host of benefits to both the companies that offer them and the clients they serve. Our guest for today is Mark Stiving, author of Win Keep Grow, and he joins us to share important insights from his book to help us learn the fundamentals of accelerating a subscription business. Mark kicks things off with a story about how he got interested in prices, and then we go on an exploration of the connection between pricing and value. From there, Mark talks about how he began to study subscriptions, got fascinated by this model from a value perspective, and essentially combined his biggest aha moments into his new book. We go on a deep dive into some of the frameworks for understanding subscriptions Mark lays out in Win Keep Grow, looking firstly at how this model can be used to acquire and retain customers through renewals, but then also to expand through upgrades. We then get into the second framework which is all about how to take advantage of the expansion possibilities of subscriptions by using three different levers: market segments, pricing metrics, and packaging. In today’s conversation, listeners also get to hear Mark’s perspectives on the benefits and biggest challenges of transferring to a subscription model, before we wrap up with some top tips for companies looking to take the plunge. So for all this and more about how subscription models help you win, keep, and grow customers, tune in today!    Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Mark, his education, and superpower of helping companies understand value. Discussing the difficulty of pricing; toeing the line between seeming valuable versus arrogant. Understanding the ‘acquisition, retention, expansion’ framework in Win Keep Grow. Mark explains how the ‘three value levers’ framework in the book helps companies grow. The ability that cloud companies have of using usage data to design tiered packages. The use of the customer success department to SaaS companies and its functions.  Mark’s thoughts on why SaaS companies should be thinking about the benefits of their products. Why subscription models benefit B2B companies: valuation, competition, and customer relations. Challenges that companies face when transitioning to a subscription model. Different models for compensating the sales team after transferring to a subscription model. How companies can get better at getting their clients to not just renew but upgrade their subscriptions. Using the ‘insurance company mentality’ when transferring to a subscription model. Advice from Mark for product leaders considering transferring to a subscription model.   Links From Today’s Episode: Mark Stiving on LinkedIn Mark Stiving on Twitter Win Keep Grow Daniel Elizalde on Impact Pricing Daniel Elizalde IoT Product Strategy Template WebRTC

The Lean Startup movement is integral to the foundation of modern entrepreneurship. Despite its proven success there are still many businesses, including both startups and established companies, that struggle to apply Lean principles and continue to build products through the waterfall approach. In today’s episode, we are joined by Steve Blank. In addition to being an author, entrepreneur, and professor, he is also widely recognized as an early father of the Lean Startup movement. In our discussion, Steve reflects on the current state of innovation in startups and enterprises and what can be done to improve it. Hear what it means to be an ambidextrous organization and why Steve holds it in such high regard. As we dive into the premise of Lean, Steve explains why on your first day as a startup, all you have is a series of untested hypotheses, whereas for an established organization the departure point is from a series of knowns. Later we discuss the concept of innovation theatre and why it’s more prevalent in established companies. Listeners can also expect to hear why the same processes for innovation that do well in startups, don’t work well for large organizations, largely because they are designed to minimize risk. Steve also shares examples of how the VP of sales can undermine innovation and why senior leadership in large organizations generally needs a lot of reform. We were honored to have Steve on the show and had a highly engaging and informative conversation that we know you’ll enjoy!   Key Points From This Episode: Meet today’s guest Steve Blank. The current state of innovation in startups and enterprises. What it means to be an ambidextrous organization.  Every company needs to be able to execute and innovate concurrently. Steve compares how the startup landscape has changed from when he started. Why startups still tend to have a technology-first approach, rather than customer first. The departure point for the premise of lean is that on your first day as a startup all you have is a series of untested hypotheses. In an established organization the departure point is from a series of knowns, like your existing customer needs, your supply chain, etc. Why founders are often too certain and why it’s a problem. Finding a repeatable and scalable business model as a startup. A discussion on the concept of innovation theatre. Steve shares an anecdote explaining the ‘cargo cult’ to illustrate how large corporations misjudge what it means to have a lean approach. Why large organizations can withstand innovation theatre for longer than a startup. The same processes that do so well in startups for innovation don’t work for large organizations because they are designed to minimize risk. Large organizations are not designed to innovate with speed and urgency. With innovation, you want to take reasonable risks. Why senior leadership needs to be reformed. How the VP of sales can undermine innovation in a company. When you have a disruptive innovation inside your own company you need to protect it from certain heads of department. How Steve describes an innovation doctrine or an innovation pipeline and how to construct and adopt it.   Links From Today’s Episode: Steve Blank Steve Blank on LinkedIn Steve Blank on Twitter Daniel Elizalde IoT Product Strategy Template

What if developers could incorporate lifelike HD audio and video capability into any application they built so that users did not have to resort to third-party apps to communicate? This is precisely the service provided by Dolby’s new cloud-based audio, voice, and video API platform, Dolby.io. Today we speak to Stephane Giraudi, Senior Director of Cloud Communication at Dolby.io, to get a behind-the-scenes look at the audiovisual technology giant’s disruptive new offering. Stephane was previously the CEO of Voxeet, a company that enabled WebRTC with crystal clear 3D surround sound, audio, and video before Dolby acquired it. After the acquisition, the two firms joined forces and merged their strengths to produce Dolby.io. Our conversation starts with Stephane sketching out the services provided by Dolby.io and the new industries Dolby is penetrating as a result. From there, we talk about how enterprise firms can accelerate their roadmap by partnering with startups. Stephane shares his experiences joining Dolby and weighs in on challenges and lessons learned regarding finding common ground between startups and enterprise-scale firms' respective strengths and weaknesses. Wrapping up, we talk to Stephane about changing the monetization model at Dolby into a SaaS offering and hearing his approach to building products aimed at developers. Tune in today!   Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Stephane and his career leading up to his position at Dolby. The service Dolby.io provides; helping developers embed audiovisual communications in their apps. New industries Dolby can tap with the services provided through Dolby.io. How large companies can accelerate their roadmap by working with startups; Stephane’s experiences being acquired by Dolby. The strategy and challenges involved with Dolby moving to a SaaS-based monetization model. Lessons around how to acquire a company and integrate it into a broader firm. Best practices for building products aimed at developers and their user experience. Whether Dolby.io is optimizing its functionality for a certain class of apps. Advice for corporations who want to partner with startups. Links From Today’s Episode: Stephane Giraudie on LinkedIn Dolby IoT Product Strategy Template

Getting to know your customer’s pains is one of the biggest challenges of building enterprise software. Joining me to take a deep dive into this topic is my good friend and return guest, C. Todd Lombardo.   As the VP of Product & Experience at Openly, an insurance-tech startup, C. Todd is a seasoned product leader in the B2B space with a ton of experience leading in-house product teams to success. He has also written two of my favorite product books: Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty, and, of course, his newest book, Product Research Rules: Nine Foundational Rules for Product Teams to Run Accurate Research that Delivers Actionable Insight.   In this episode, C. Todd and I discuss topics based on three of the nine product rules included in his newest book, Product Research Rules: 1) How to align your team/s on the right question/s to research 2) How to plan research in a B2B context & 3) Why it is essential to share your findings throughout the innovation process.   Episode Details: Product Research Rules with C. Todd Lombardo: “Start with the problem first; Don’t start with the solution or the technology.” — C. Todd Lombardo   About C. Todd Lombardo: Data nerd. Design geek. Product Fanatic. Product-guy who believes “product”​ is not the right fit for today's data-driven, experiential world. C. Todd focuses on building and mentoring teams in areas of user experience design, product management, and product strategy. Currently, he is the VP of Product & Experience at Openly, an insurance-tech startup.   In addition to leading in-house product teams to success, C. Todd has worked as a design and product strategy consultant for notable clients such as TripAdvisor, LogMeIn, Spotify, New York Times, BBVA, FedEx, Lowes, and Genentech. Additionally, he serves on the adjunct faculty at Madrid's IE Business School and Baltimore's Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where he teaches graduate-level courses in design, innovation, and data visualization.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Todd’s career background and experience in various product roles About his newest book, Product Research Rules: Nine Foundational Rules for Product Teams to Run Accurate Research that Delivers Actionable Insight What you need to know to build a product that solves the problem(s) of your customers or users How to conduct research to fully understand what the problem is that you’re trying to address with the product you are creating What some of the key product rules are and how you can leverage them to drive you and your team forward Key insights and examples on “Rule #3: Good insights start with a question.” How to align your team as a leader so they can discover the right questions to ask and research (and get the executive team, management, and stakeholders on board too) Examples of how to create solutions for problems your customers are actually having Key insights and examples on “Rule #4: Plans make research work.” How to access/communicate with your customers in a B2B environment The critical role that the product leader plays in enabling their team to feel empowered Key insights and examples on “Rule #8: Insights are best shared” The importance of good user experience and a good product that fills a need and isn’t just a solution in search of a problem   Product Leader Tip of the Week: When it comes to product research, you need to ask simple questions — then listen. The ability to ‘dig in’ and then know when to listen is crucial! Don’t wait to speak. Instead, listen to what somebody is saying and then respond.   And don’t forget: be humble if you’re wrong.   To Learn More About C. Todd Lombardo: Todd Lombardo’s LinkedIn Product Research Rules: Nine Foundational Rules for Product Teams to Run Accurate Research that Delivers Actionable Insight, by C. Todd Lombardo and Aras Bilgen Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty, by C. Todd Lombardo, Bruce McCarthy, Evan Ryan, and Michael Connors Openly   Related Resources: Enterprise Product Leadership Episode 27: “How to Define a Clear IoT Vision” with C. Todd Lombardo  danielelizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at danielelizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit danielelizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

My guest today is April Dunford, a Product Marketing and Positioning expert. She’s also the author of the best-selling book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It. She is also the founder and CEO of Ambient Strategy, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in positioning for technology companies.   In this episode, we discuss how positioning is a crucial element of every product and how bad positioning can have a devastating effect on your roadmap. We talk about the benefit of product management working closely with product marketing (especially at the beginning of the innovation journey), how companies should implement and execute their positioning strategy, and how to begin to create a cohesive product strategy that can generate value and money.   This is a fun and insightful episode that no product leader should miss!   Episode Details: How Great Positioning Leads to Great Roadmaps (and Not the Other Way Around) with April Dunford: “One of the first things I teach people is that everybody’s got to own positioning. … Because positioning impacts everything we do. It’s going to impact what we’re doing in product, it’s going to impact what we’re doing in sales, in marketing, … customer success — it impacts a lot of things.” — April Dunford   About April Dunford: April is an experienced startup executive with a deep interest in how companies bring new offerings to market and get them into the hands of customers that are willing to pay for them. She has deep expertise in market positioning and has launched 16 products into the market. She has experience in creating new markets, expanding markets, and positioning new products in existing established markets.   April has held executive roles in a series of successful startups as CEO, COO, VP Marketing, and VP Marketing and Sales. She has also held executive roles at global companies such as IBM, where she launched and grew a new product division.   Additionally, April is the CEO of Ambient Strategy, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in positioning for technology companies. Through this, she has worked with over 200 companies across the globe, helping them grow faster by ensuring their offerings are clearly differentiated in the market.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: About April’s career background and the work that she does today About her book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It The impetus of what got her interested and invested in positioning Why positioning is so fundamentally important for the marketing of your product The differences between market categories vs. trends (and what makes good ones vs. bad ones) Why you don’t have to be trendy in order to sell product How to create a cohesive product strategy that can generate value and money How to better structure the relationship between product management and product marketing The scope that positioning covers and why everyone needs to be involved Key components of positioning and what you need to consider as a product leader How to have conversations about positioning on all levels of the organization How to mitigate positioning challenges before they happen How to get your whole organization aligned with the positioning How to execute on your positioning throughout the lifecycle of your roadmap Advice for leaders who are new at defining and executing a positioning strategy   Product Leader Tip of the Week: You have to create your positioning strategy deliberately. A good product leader should be open to the idea that there are other ways to contextualize what they do beyond databases. You also need to have a structured process. If it is not structured, you will not be able to get a good result.   To Learn More About April Dunford: April Dunford’s LinkedIn Ambient Strategy Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It, by April Dunford   Related Resources: com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter atcom/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

Throughout the life of the Enterprise Product Leadership podcast, I’ve had critical conversations on many product leadership topics such as driving a data strategy with Bill Schmarzo, how to test business ideas with David Bland, how to drive innovation with Geoffrey Moore, and much more. All of these topics are very important for product leaders but there’s one key ingredient that’s missing: the human element of alignment and collaboration.   The role of a leader is to ensure everybody is aligned and can contribute to the vision of the product and the company. Without that alignment, there’s no technology, business model, or data strategy that matters.   That is why I’m so excited to be joined by Stefano Mastrogiacomo on the show today. Stefano is a management consultant, professor, and author. His book, High-Impact Tools for Teams: 5 Tools to Align Team Members, Build Trust, and Get Results Fast, is the missing manual to achieve and maintain alignment throughout the life of your product.   From a leadership perspective, this is probably one of the most important episodes I’ll ever publish. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!   Episode Details: How to Create Clarity and Alignment across your Organization with Stefano Mastrogiacomo: “Alignment is not easy. It’s not an easy process. Especially when we have different backgrounds, different priorities, etc. So there has to be some initial starting point on which we all converge, regardless of where we come from.” — Stefano Mastrogiacomo   About Stefano Mastrogiacomo: Stefano Mastrogiacomo a management consultant, professor, and author. He is passionate about human coordination and he is the designer of the Team Alignment Map, the Team Contract, the Fact Finder, and the other tools presented in this book. He has been leading digital projects and advising project teams in international organizations for more than 20 years while teaching and doing research at the Universities of Lausanne, Switzerland. His interdisciplinary work is anchored in project management, change management, psycholinguistics, evolutionary anthropology, and design thinking.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Stefano Mastrogiacomo’s career background and journey How and why Stefano originally discovered the importance of alignment Why you need to focus on alignment and coordination in order to get anything done as a leader The key message of Stefano’s book, High-Impact Tools for Teams: 5 Tools to Align Team Members, Build Trust, and Get Results Fast The creative journey of writing his book Why alignment is crucial to driving innovation Key principles in coordination and alignment How Stefano recommends approaching the task of alignment between multiple departments as a product leader About the Team Alignment Tool how it helps structure an alignment conversation that creates mutual clarity Why understanding the mission is the first step to achieving alignment (and how to effectively create a mission with clarity) The human side of the innovation journey The four key requirements for human coordination What co-planning is and how it enables coordination in your organization How to address resistance towards change What you need to address to achieve alignment and coordination in order to have a successful innovation journey Key components that make the execution journey more smooth The challenges of coordination and how to address them How to foster a more collaborative and communicative team How to address common challenges around human coordination The similarities and differences between achieving alignment in small vs. large organizations Common challenges that leaders will face in implementing collaboration tools in their organizations (and how to overcome them) Stefano’s project roadmap and future goals   Product Leader Tip of the Week: Stefano recommends going to Strategyzer.com or TeamAlignment.co. and downloading their toolkit. Start experimenting on your projects today! If you would like examples, be sure to check out Stefano’s book, High-Impact Tools for Teams.   To Learn More About Stefano Mastrogiacomo: Stefano Mastrogiacomo’s LinkedIn The Team Alignment Co. High-Impact Tools for Teams: 5 Tools to Align Team Members, Build Trust, and Get Results Fast, by Stefano Mastrogiacomo, Alexander Osterwalder, Alan Smith (designer), and Trish Papadakos (designer)   Related Resources: https://danielelizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! 32: “The Economic Value of Data with Bill Schmarzo” 33: “How to Test Business Ideas with David Bland” 37: “Crossing the Chasm: How to Effectively Drive Innovation with Geoffrey Moore” 38: “Is 5G Worth It? with Rob Tiffany” The Strategyzer Book Series Strategyzer   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter athttps://danielelizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit danielelizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

Launching software products to market is very hard. But adding a hardware component makes it 10 times harder. Not only do you have the typical product and market challenges of software, but you also have the complexity of building a physical product, which can take a long time; it’s capital intensive, it might require specialized equipment, and it requires access to a supply-chain network you might not be a part of. This is why I’m so excited to be joined by my guest today, Haven Allen! Haven is the CEO of mHUB; a startup accelerator focusing on hardware and software products — or, as Haven calls them — hard-tech. In our conversation, we discuss the complexities of bringing hard-tech products to market, the role that accelerators like mHUB play in this space, and how large companies should engage with startups to create a win-win partnership. Additionally, we also discuss the impact of COVID-19 in accelerating the innovation cycle of many industries including Healthcare, Energy, and Manufacturing. Whether you work at a hard-tech startup or at an enterprise that interacts with hard-tech startups, this is a fantastic episode that no Product Leader should miss! Episode Details: with Haven Allen: “There are these great ideas out there and they just need a little bit more support, a little bit more capital, [and] stronger connections with industry to really accelerate their teams.” — Haven Allen   About Haven Allen: Haven Allen, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of mHUB, is an entrepreneur and technology strategist who most recently concentrated on growing the manufacturing industry and strengthening its community throughout Chicagoland. As an economic development strategist at World Business Chicago, he directed the Advisory Council for Chicagoland Manufacturing through which he established and led the implementation of an economic development agenda to support growth and job creation in the manufacturing sector. During his graduate education, Haven served as a Mayoral Fellow at the City of Chicago. As a fellow, he provided research and analysis on policy initiatives dealing with infrastructure, electricity markets, and municipal marketing. Topics We Discuss in this Episode: About Haven Allen’s background in tech About mHUB and Allen’s role as a CEO What “hard-tech” is Hard-tech startup best practices How mHUB leadership developed and shaped a robust venture capital ecosystem Haven’s insights on solving substantial problems in the advanced manufacturing space The holistic approach that Haven takes as CEO of mHUB How COVID-19 is impacting startups in the hard-tech industry mHUB’s business model and how it has enabled the different stages of the lifecycle to get to pilot and beyond mHUB’s roadmap and how they’re working toward creating more opportunities and jobs Other industries with the potential to leverage hard-tech What helps founders and startups with their positioning early on with innovations that they could bring to market Whether there has been more of a willingness from industries and companies to take a chance on hard-tech and “unproven technologies” Why you need access to capital in order to scale up and accelerate your business How being an accelerator helps with the in-between challenges of doing small testing runs of hardware How the Chicago ecosystem has been an amazing asset for mHUB What a healthy, fruitful relationship looks like between a startup and a large corporation Haven’s tips and advice for founders and Product Leaders Product Leader Tip of the Week: Haven’s advice to product leaders who are working on product innovation that requires both software and hardware: Know the problem and know the market you’re trying to attack. Create products that are going to live on for more than five to 10 years. This will require you to invest in technology that’s at the bleeding edge but this will give your product more longevity and future potential. Create feedback loops, find ways to accelerate your path to market, and leverage existing technologies. You also have to take your product to market; you can’t engineer something forever! To Learn More About Haven Allen: Haven Allen’s LinkedIn mHUB Related Resources: DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!

Understanding user’s needs continues to be one of the top challenges for enterprise and industrial product leaders. And although the practice of user research has been around for a while, most of the information out there seems to focus on B2C products. This is why I’m very excited to be joined by Steve Portigal joining us on the show today! My guest today is Steve Portigal, an experienced user researcher, author, and consultant who helps organizations build more mature user research practices. In our conversation, Steve shares how he approaches B2B research and we discuss the complexities of doing user research in a B2B context, the challenges of getting access to users, the need to focus on understanding customers’ pain (as opposed to only focusing on usability), and how to influence your organization to conduct more research. Steve also shares his advice on how to build a practice that encourages ongoing user research. This is a very important episode that no product leader should miss!   Episode Details: Build more mature user-research practices with Steve Portigal: “If you’re just testing the usability and not the desirability or the usefulness, then you’re not going to uncover the fundamentals flaws that may exist in those initial assumptions.” — Steve Portigal   About Steve Portigal: Steve Portigal is a consultant who helps organizations to build more mature user research practices. Over the past 20 years, he has interviewed hundreds of people, including families eating breakfast, hotel maintenance staff, architects, radiologists, home-automation enthusiasts, credit-default swap traders, and rock musicians. His work has informed the development of mobile devices, medical information systems, music gear, wine packaging, financial services, corporate intranets, videoconferencing systems, and music accessories.   Steve is the author of two books, Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories. Additionally, he is the host of the podcast, Dollars to Donuts.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Steve’s career background and the work he does today as an experienced user researcher What a user researcher does and why it is important Invaluable tips for user researchers Why companies struggle to understand their customers’ challenges How a company can become more user-centered How to enable a culture that empowers everyone Why you may want to bring on a user researcher or an external expert The nuances of being a team player and contributing to the success of the company How to challenge baseline assumptions in order to move forward and grow as a company The differences between B2C and B2B user research The challenges of user research (and how to overcome them) Why user research is not only incredibly invaluable but needs to be figured out for your company Why culture is critical to research How to support leaders in helping transform the organization’s mindset into a customer-centric culture Proactive vs. reactive research   Product Leader Tip of the Week: Keep in mind, user research is a skill. You can read about it, take classes, listen to podcasts, but you also have to practice.   Practice can include: knowing when to do research, knowing what research to do, how to go about actually doing the research, learning how to leverage the research that you’ve done, and learning how to help others understand the research.   And be sure to give yourself the chance to get better. All of this takes time. Be compassionate and understand that research is not just binary; there are many, many facets of it.   To Learn More About Rob Tiffany: Steve Portigal’s Website Podcast: Dollars to Donuts Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights, by Steve Portigal Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories, by Steve Portigal   Related Resources: com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter atcom/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!

5G promises to be a revolutionary technology that will impact all aspects of our lives. But how much of that is real? And how much of it is just hype? To get to the bottom of this, I wanted to bring on a seasoned technology expert to show and I couldn’t think of a better person to invite than my friend, Rob Tiffany! Rob Tiffany is the Vice President and Head of IoT Strategy at Ericsson. In his role, Rob drives the Internet of Things strategy and execution. Additionally, Rob is also a best-selling author; a frequent keynote speaker; and serves on the boards of SmartCitiesWorld, the Washington State IoT Council, and Kapios Health. He is also routinely ranked as one of the top IoT experts and influencers in the world by Inc Magazine, Onalytica, and many more! In this episode, Rob and I discuss the value proposition of 5G from a business perspective, why 5G promises a new era of expansion for the Internet of Things, and the steps you can begin to take as a Product Leader to plan for 5G as part of your innovation roadmap. We also talk about some of 5G’s hurdles, including some of its complexities, the cost of switching to this technology, and the pressure it is under in competing in both price and functionality with more established technologies, such as Wi-Fi. This is a fun and informative episode that no Product Leader should miss!   Episode Details: The True Business Value of 5G with Rob Tiffany: “Start planning for [5G] right now. It’s already starting to roll out.” — Rob Tiffany   About Rob Tiffany: Rob Tiffany is Vice President and Head of IoT Strategy at Ericsson where he drives Internet of Things strategy and execution. Rob joined Ericsson in 2018 from Enterprise IoT, where he was Founder and CEO. There, he created an Edge computing system powered by Digital Twins that targeted enterprises and industrials. As CTO and Global Product Manager at Hitachi, he received the Presidential “Product of the Year” award for designing the Lumada Industrial IoT platform. This product landed in Gartner’s “Visionary Quadrant” and was a “Strong Performer” in The Forrester Wave. Spending most of his career at Microsoft, Rob was the Global Technology Lead for IoT where he incubated the Azure IoT cloud platform and co-authored its reference architecture. Prior to Microsoft, Rob was the Co-Founder of NetPerceptor where he developed one of the industry’s earliest Mobile Device Management (MDM/EMM) platforms for smartphones.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Rob Tiffany’s career background and his current role at Ericsson What 5G is, who it is for, and what problems it is trying to solve Why 5G promises a new era of expansion for the Internet of Things The business value of 5G Various industries that 5G can have an impact on Why you need the agility that wireless gives you (beyond Wi-Fi) What CBRS is and how it will help facilitate 5G Why 5G is better than Wi-Fi for enterprises 5G’s hurdles and complexities What Product Leaders should consider when they’re thinking about 5G for their innovation roadmap   Product Leader Tip of the Week: As a Product Leader, you should start planning for 5G today. The capacity, speed, latency, etc. make it all worthwhile. Research it some more, think about the use cases, and plan for all that it can bring you.   To Learn More About Rob Tiffany: Rob Tiffany’s LinkedIn Ericsson   Related Resources: DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

My guest today is Geoffrey Moore; a speaker, advisor, and best-selling author of some of the most influential business books of the past decade — including the world-famous book, Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers. It is no exaggeration to say that Geoffrey’s books have molded my product career throughout the years. From Crossing the Chasm to Inside the Tornado, Dealing with Darwin to Zone to Win — his deep insights into how the B2B market works have been a critical component of how I approach product strategy and innovation. This is just one of the reasons why I’m so excited to have Geoffrey on the show today. In this episode, we discuss how an enterprise’s structure needs to adapt to drive innovation, how leaders should incorporate technology trends (such as AI, IoT, and 5G) into their product innovation roadmap, as well as the difficult topic of why so many B2B products die during the pilot stage. This is a very insightful episode. I cannot wait for you all to tune in and learn just as much as I did from this conversation with Geoffrey Moore!   Episode Details: Crossing the Chasm: How to Effectively Drive Innovation with Geoffrey Moore: “Crossing the chasm is the first move for taking your innovation away from just a technology focus to a customer focus.” — Geoffrey Moore   About Geoffrey Moore: Geoffrey Moore is an author, speaker, and advisor who splits his consulting time between start-up companies in the Wildcat Venture Partners portfolios and established high-tech enterprises, most recently including Salesforce, Microsoft, Autodesk, F5Networks, Gainsight, Google, and Splunk. Moore’s life’s work has focused on the market dynamics surrounding disruptive innovations. His first book, Crossing the Chasm, focuses on the challenges start-up companies face transitioning from early adopting to mainstream customers. It has sold more than a million copies, and its third edition has been revised such that the majority of its examples and case studies reference companies that have come to prominence from the past decade. Moore’s most recent work, Zone to Win, addresses the challenge large enterprises face when embracing disruptive innovations, even when it is in their best interests to do so. It’s time to stop explaining why they don’t and start explaining how they can. This has been the basis of much of his recent consulting.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: About Geoffrey’s career background and the work he is currently doing today The four organizational zones that companies need to have in order to drive innovation (as outlined in his new book, Zone to Win) Why there is a massive need for organizations to innovate in an accelerated and repeatable way (and the ways that sometimes prevent them from doing so) How Geoffrey has helped companies get leadership to understand that there needs to be an investment in all four of these zones in order to successfully innovate The downsides of being reactive instead of proactive Key lessons in innovation The challenges you’ll face in the process of innovation and how to persevere through them How leaders should incorporate technology trends (such as AI, IoT, and 5G) into their product innovation roadmap Why Crossing the Chasm is the first step in taking innovation from a technology-focus to a customer-focus (and why this is KEY to propelling your business forward) What a “whole product” means and why it is important How to graduate past the early market The difference between horizontal products and vertical products Why you should start with the application dynamic before transitioning to the platform dynamic The key to a successful partnership The difference between a product vs. a solution Where a small company has an advantage over a big company Why so many B2B products die during the pilot stage and Geoffrey’s advice to product leaders   Product Leader Tip of the Week: How to approach innovation in this era of high uncertainty: Don’t try to solve it all with one tool. Start at the beginning with a set of technology-oriented tools that are designed to explore the technology and get familiar with the properties. Simply try and figure out if this new technology affects your customer’s industry and if it is really right for your company or not. Once you cross the chasm, you want to shift the framework from product to solution. As a product leader, you really need to be thinking about where you are as a company and really consider which framework you should be using.   To Learn More About Geoffrey Moore: GeoffreyAMoore.com Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey A. Moore Zone to Win: Organizing to Compete in an Age of Disruption, by Geoffrey A. Moore Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution, by Geoffrey A. Moore Inside the Tornado: Strategies for Developing, Leveraging, and Surviving Hypergrowth Markets, by Geoffrey A. Moore   Related Resources: DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

Today I am joined by Tendayi Viki, an Associate Partner at Strategyzer. He’s also the best-selling author of the new book, Pirates In The Navy: How Innovators Lead Transformation. In our conversation, we discuss what it takes to create a culture of innovation in established conversations and the role product leaders play in driving that process. We also discuss the differences between doing real progress vs. innovation theatre, the signs innovators should look for to know whether innovation has potential at their company, or, if they should look for another job. If you’re trying to drive innovation forward in your company don’t miss out on this insightful discussion!   Episode Details: Product Leaders are often Pirates in the Navy with Tendayi Viki: “Even large companies need to be able to innovate. And in order for them to innovate, they have to adopt start-up practices.” — Tendayi Viki   About Tendayi Viki: Tendayi is an Associate Partner at Strategyzer where he helps large companies innovate for the future while running their core business. He is also a contributor at Forbes and an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Kent. He was previously Director of Product Lifecycle at Pearson (an FTSE100 global education company), a Managing Partner at Benneli Jacobs and Company, an Associate Partner at EYBOX, and a Lean Innovation Coach at GlobalPETS Community.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Tendayi Viki’s career background and his current role at Strategyzer About his book, Pirates In The Navy, and the key lessons it shares What is causing the need for organizations to focus on innovation now more than ever What innovation theatre is and how to recognize it What the goals should look like for large organizations when it comes to innovation How to avoid innovation theatre and make real progress through innovation Tendayi’s advice for innovators working with their leaders to achieve strategic alignment within the organization How to pitch innovation to leadership The importance of having a shared language within your organization How to create a culture of innovation so that innovation can thrive within your organization Building innovation vs. building a culture of innovation How to create real value through innovation The difference between building processes at scale vs. building innovations How to know whether innovation has potential at a certain company or if you should look for another job   Product Leader Tip of the Week: If you are a product leader who is not gaining traction with innovation, you may be one of two options: 1) You’re in a desert (i.e. there’s not a single person in your company that is interested in innovation at all). If this is the case, you should find another place to work. 2) You have decided to do the wrong thing first. If you are arguing with the leaders in your organization that are not early adopters of the innovation, it won’t work. In most organizations, there are always at least a few leaders who really “get it.” You need to identify those early adopters and work with those people first. If you work with them first, you’ll be able to do one of the most important things in a transformation: get an early win. This credibility opens up many doors.   To Learn More About Tendayi Viki: Tendayi Viki’s LinkedIn Pirates In The Navy: How Innovators Lead Transformation, by Tendayi Viki Tendayi Viki on Forbes   Related Resources: Value Proposition Canvas | Strategyzer DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

My fantastic guest today is Shannon Lucas, former Executive Vice President at Ericsson and Co-CEO at Catalyst Constellations. She is also a co-author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well. Most of the material I see for product leaders tends to focus on “doing the job,” meaning: how you do the work of product leadership or product management. Rarely do they focus on the person themselves; in being a good leader while simultaneously driving change, working with others, and not going crazy in the process. That’s why I was so excited to be joined by my friend Shannon for today’s episode! As an expert on this topic, Shannon shares key insights on the topic from her new book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, and, on how you can become the changemaker you desire to be — without getting burnt out! Shannon also provides the framework on how to become a better leader by understanding whether or not you are a catalyst yourself, as well as how to work better with other catalysts in your life. Shannon and I also discuss the emotional challenges that come along with being an agent of change and how to better cope with the uncertainty that comes with the job. If you are a product leader, grab your pen and paper! This is a not-to-miss conversation. Episode Details: with Shannon Lucas: “My belief is we need those positive changemakers… now more than ever. And there’s more and more being demanded of them. So it’s really important that we find sustainable ways to support their energy, but also give them the tools to be more effective.” — Shannon Lucas About Shannon Lucas: Shannon is an intrapreneur, innovator, entrepreneur, facilitator, and catalyst with a 15-plus year track record in technology design and implementation, technical sales, and innovation. As a global innovation executive, Shannon specializes in future trend analysis, driving innovation and intrapreneurial culture, and delivering transformational technology solutions. Her main mission and purpose is to help transform the world’s largest organizations to be more sustainable in every sense of the word — for profit, people, and the planet. Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Shannon’s career background and how she’s become the catalyst she is today Key lessons in change-making and leading impactful innovations About her new best-selling book, Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, and how it helps catalysts see themselves, be more effective, and not burn out About Shannon’s company, Catalyst Constellations The key attributes of a catalyst and the distinguishing factors that separate them from other visionaries How to work better in a more sustainable way as a catalyst How to recognize other catalysts and equip them with the right tools and knowledge to thrive The importance of understanding the core traits of catalysts to enable better collaboration, better support systems, and create a culture that thrives Why failure at the front-end should be celebrated, not punished The common patterns and pitfalls of catalysts What catalyst burnout looks like and how to bounce back, fully rejuvenated How Shannon works with catalysts as a catalyst herself Top tips for catalysts Tools and techniques that can take you to the next level as a catalyst Product Leader Tips of the Week: If you suspect you are a catalyst (or you work with catalysts), the #1 thing you need to remember is to slow down and have some self-compassion. It is hard work to be a catalyst so you can’t be too hard on yourself (or, on the catalysts around you). To Learn More About Shannon Lucas: Shannon Lucas’ LinkedIn Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, by Shannon Lucas and Tracey Lovejoy Catalyst Constellations Join the Galaxy Community Related Resources: The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change), by Clayton M. Christensen DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!  

I have a great show for you today! I am joined by Eric Simone, the founder and CEO of ClearBlade; one of my favorite companies building IoT platforms and connected solutions consistently across the edge, cloud, and on-premise environments. In this episode, Eric shares his journey with ClearBlade and how his roots in enterprise software have influenced every decision he has made in building the company. We also discuss Eric’s approach to edge computing (and the value that this technology trend brings to his customers), his approach to partnerships as an enabler for growth, and ClearBlade’s roadmap for the future.   Episode Details: How to build a successful company with Eric Simone: “This has been a tough year for many, many people. … But the one bright spot that I can see is that good technology shines in dire times like this.” — Eric Simone   About Eric Simone: Eric Simone is the founder and CEO of ClearBlade Inc., an Enterprise Edge Computing Internet of Things (IoT) software company focused on large Enterprises in the transportation, building facilities, and connected products markets. Prior to starting ClearBlade, Eric was the founder and CTO of Compete Incorporated, which sold to Perficient Inc. (PRFT) for $63M in May of 2000. Earlier in his career, Eric achieved success in senior engineering, product, and sales positions at IBM and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Eric has a degree in Computer Science from Purdue University and is a recognized Distinguished Alumni. Eric resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Toni and two sons, Xander and Dexter.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Eric Simone’s career and how he came to found ClearBlade How ClearBlade as a company has developed over time The companies they serve and the solutions they provide at ClearBlade How ClearBlade is playing a major role in how the industry is developing How to become a horizontal organization (and how ClearBlade did it) The benefit of building your business from the ground-up Why you should go “no-code” (but be willing to let the customer decide how much or how little they want to do in your software) What the “edge” is What has changed from a technology perspective around the edge that makes it so promising What the edge will do for your organization How ClearBlade selects partners and works with them The differences between a vendor and a partner ClearBlade’s roadmap and Eric’s hopes for the future of the company   Product Leader Tips of the Week: What Eric would tell Product Leaders that are considering building enterprise applications leveraging the edge: Research technology that’s out there that you can build on top of, specific to what you’re trying to do Understand what you are and understand the market you’re going after Be patient Don’t underestimate tech Leverage what’s out there Find people you like to work with, with a culture that you match. Often, the hard part of the business is not the tech but the relationships and the go-to-market strategies   To Learn More About Eric Simone: Eric Simone’s LinkedIn ClearBlade   Related Resources: DanielElizalde.com/Template — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here!   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalde.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalde.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!