1. How to define your product strategy. When I start a new job, I define a SWAG (Stupid Wild-Ass Guess) product strategy within my first two weeks. Here's my approach... 2. I start by defining the product we seek to build, with a clear positioning detailing:
- what it is,
- the benefits we hope to deliver, along with
- the personality of the product.
Netflix example below, and here's a description of the framework: gibsonbiddle.medium.com/branding-for-b…

1. I know folks are busy, so here's the TLDR version of my product strategy frameworks, along with a range of ways to learn/practice/put them to use. First, the exec summary/cliff notes of the tools: gibsonbiddle.medium.com/12-step-by-ste… 2. If you're super self-disciplined (I'm not) you can work through the models using the step-by-step approach I outline on Medium-- the long-form version of the above. Did I mention it's FREE: gibsonbiddle.medium.com/intro-to-produ…

@aakashg0 1. Here’s my take on Netflix’s recent stock drop and what they will focus on going forward: askgib.substack.com/p/ask-gib-how-… @aakashg0 2. I don’t disagree with anything Akaash said. His points:

1. Competition changes your market
2. Content CAN trump product
3. Entertainment is hits-driven
4. Big tech is always a threat
5. The tyranny of spend

27 months I wrote these "speaker tips," 3 months into the pandemic. Some is universal, some has changed. If you're a speaker or aspiring speaker, you might find something helpful here: gibsonbiddle.com/speakertips By the way, this is a good example of being a bit embarrassed by the launch of the first version of your product. It's a bit hard for me to watch the primordial video but it reinforces how much I have learned since then.

1. A thread on my top Career essays from my free "Ask Gib" product newsletter (as measured by claps, shares, and NPS): 2. This essay helps you to figure out if you are a starter, builder, or super-scaler:
askgib.substack.com/p/43358326

1. Here's a thread with my top "Ask Gib" Product Strategy essays. Each essay is from my free product newsletter. If you're not a subscriber, here's the front door: askgib.substack.com 2. This essay is on Project v. Outcomes-based roadmaps. The challenge of project-based roadmaps is they imply a schedule commitment. Outcome-based roadmaps nicely dodge this issue as they clearly communicate your metrics focus:
askgib.substack.com/p/32927590

1. "Name it to tame it." So much of the challenge of product leadership is over-communicating with teams with diverse skills/focus who lack a common language to communicate with each other. What's a Mission? A Product Vision? A strategy? Tactics? What's Culture mean? 2. And in technology, the tools/challenges change very quickly, so the skills need to adapt quickly, too. And the work at a startup is radically different from a larger, established company and there are huge differences between consumer and B2B/enterprise companies.

1. Some confusion I want to navigate with my product strategy tools, frameworks, and models. I want to tease out the distinction between a high-level product strategy, and the product strategy for different teams/swimlanes within the product organization. 2. I expect a product organization to have a high-level product strategy for the entire organization. I find it helpful to define their high-level product vision, their high-level engagement metric, how they prioritize growth, engagement, and monetization...

"Bad process = Bureaucracy, Good process = Mechanism." I have taken 30 companies through exercises helping them to define, edit and live (via mechanisms) their culture. Here's a great culture talk by @jasonkilar, SVP Amazon, CEO Hulu now WarnerMedia CEO: Here's my culture talk, digging into how to define, edit and live your company's culture on an ongoing basis. It largely uses Netflix as a role model: vimeo.com/450503741

1. This is so good. Barry McCarthy, former CFO at Spotify/Netflix is now the CEO of Peloton. This quote is from an interview w/ the NY Times. Barry explains where he and the former Peloton CEO (now Chairman) disagree: John, "We're a Family." Barry, "No, we're a Pro Sports Team." 2. The issue is cultural. Companies need to decide where they want to be. Where does Peloton want to be on a continuum from "Family" to "Pro Sports Team"? There's no right answer, but it's helpful to agree on where you are today, and where you aspire to be in the future.

1. A favorite interview question and leadership model, all in one: Results = Strategic thinking + Initiative + Leadership. 2. In interviewing candidates, I'll ask the question, "Can you describe to me how you delivered a Result along with the Strategy you followed, the Initiative (idea) you executed, and how you provided Leadership so folks were motivated to put the idea into action?

1. Each year, I do a thread to re-introduce myself to new followers. It’s time… 2. I’ll start with the personal. I celebrate my 60th bday in late March. Each year, I ski my age in days, and yesterday I hit 25 days – a mix of downhill, skate-skiing, and backcountry skiing.

1. As a product leader, it's hard to keep multiple functions in a company aligned. Last week I talked about the GLEE model as a tool to build alignment, this week I focus on the GEM model -- how you prioritize Growth, Engagement, and Monetization. 2. In working with startups, I'll often spot-check alignment within a company by asking multiple folks -- in different parts of the organization -- how they prioritize these three factors. If I get six different responses, it's a strong signal of misalignment.

1. Cross-functional alignment is hard. There are two tools that I use to "connect" the product strategy to other functions of a company & help multiple "departments" stay aligned. The first is the GLEE model, and the second is the GEM model. I'll focus on GLEE today. 2. The GLEE model helps product teams to outline a long-term product vision. I encourage product teams to think long-term and to form a hypothesis about what the multiple steps will be for a company to eventually dent the universe.

1) A few things I learned about writing a Substack newsletter -- after one year and 8,000 subscribers. Summary: the only thing that really matters is consistently/persistently publishing essays, which is hard if this is not your core purpose/business. 2) Folks like @lenny and @packyM have built a business around their newsletter and it's their primary focus. Lenny focuses on a paid newsletter and Packy built his business around sponsorships. Both do investing on the side.

1 Been thinking about the importance of the invisible in building great products. Product leaders love to build new stuff. but in so many cases, the important stuff is hardly visible. If not careful, you build Frankensteinian stuff that doesn't work. 2 In 1995, at Netflix, the PR/IR folks would ask "what's new?" each quarter, as though that was the most important thing. But it was the invisible stuff that really mattered.

1) Are you a Starter, Builder, or Super-Scaler? I'm a Builder-- I look for startups with a proof of concept ready to scale and then scale them. But I always wanted to start a company "from scratch." Until I learned, I'm not a starter-- the hard way.

A thread... 2) A Starter enjoys building companies from zero to one. This person is comfortable with early startup risk and ambiguity and appreciates the limited resources available. S/he tends to have a general set of skills required for this “everybody grab a shovel” stage of a company...

1) A simple model I've borrowed/stolen/contorted from Tony Hsieh and others about career happiness. My model spells "CAMP":
- Connection
- Autonomy
- Mastery
- Purpose
#productmanagement 2) Connection is about finding a social context with your workmates, or sometimes partners or customers. A sense that you are not alone and work with others. For most, work is a big part of an individual's social context.

A brief summary of my 7 product strategy frameworks: 1) Define your positioning: What is it? How does it benefit customers? How do you define your product's personality? medium.com/@gibsonbiddle/… 2) Define your brand via a brand pyramid. Start from the bottom then work your way up. What are your product attributes? Product benefits? Emotional benefits? Your "something bigger"-- your future aspiration?medium.com/@gibsonbiddle/…

1) I am often asked how I collect so much survey data for my talks. It has taken me a few years to figure it out, but it's a combination of making it easy for the audience, the right timing, and asking earnestly. Here are the steps... 2) At the end of my talk, I have a final closing slide -- something climactic that signals I am almost done...

1) A thread on virtual product talks. I have done 100 this year and now consistently have an NPS in the 70's. I am going to go beyond the basics of clear structure, storyline, takeaways that can be applied to folks lives the next day... 2) The main thing is you have to double down on engagement tactics. You can drive engagement in real talks via stories, "what would you do" scenarios, and cases, but to consistently keep the audience's attention you need to do more...