People Problems Are Actually Leadership Problems - Christian Idiodi

This talk was so profound, and touched on so many things, that it’s kind of hard to choose highlights, but here are a few:

In organizations, people problems are actually leadership problems.
Christian is one of the few people in the world that has had the chance to work with many product groups in many types of companies. When analyzing what the key problems are (strategy, meetings, roadmaps, focus, value, culture, etc…), he points out that at the root of it all lies leadership. He makes a case that “people problems” are actually “leadership problems”.

Leadership is about creating an environment where people can thrive. As a leader, your job is to coach your team so that they are motivated and have the right tools to do their job. One of the main things that you should be doing is providing them with the strategic context so that they can make better decisions. Another important thing is making sure that they are not spending all of their time in meetings!!!

Product leaders are measured not by how well the product is, but by how great their product managers are. - A product leader is fully responsible for the success and enrichment of their product managers. This means that you should be spending most of your time coaching and providing the strategic context to your product managers so that they can make the right decisions, spend a lot more time on discovery, and do their job successfully.

Collaboration is key - Let teams solve problems together, it's going to lead to way better solutions, a happier workplace, and fewer meetings. This also ties into the concept of team accountability. If you give teams the task of solving problems together, they will naturally take ownership of the results.

Create cupcakes - Christian had an awesome story about how a woman who loved making cupcakes found product-market fit mostly by not straying from the actual thing that gave value to her customers… awesome cupcakes. Sounds easy, but how many of us are working on things that stray from the core value that they’re supposed to provide to their customers.

Trust is a two way street - In the QA, many people wondered what they can do now even if their workplace lacks strong leadership. The issue of trust came up, and Christian pointed out that if this is the case, you should try to build trust with your leadership. If you succeed, there will be a very good chance that you can actually create meaningful change for yourself and others.

Thanks again, Christian Idiodi, for inspiring us with your wisdom and immersive storytelling!

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