Purpose first. Context always.
I started in software engineering and moved into product. I like getting underneath a messy problem, finding the decision that matters, and helping a team make it.
How I got here
Before product management, I was a software engineer who cared a lot about DevOps and the systems around the code. At Procter & Gamble, I realised I was most useful when I could work with a team to understand the problem and connect the effort to something people valued. Product management gave me more room to do that.
I ask a lot of questions, including awkward ones about why a decision is being made. I am not trying to win an argument. I am trying to understand enough to change my mind or help the team make a choice it can explain.
Outside work, I lift weights, cycle when the weather cooperates, play guitar, bake bread, do a bit of woodworking, and make things on a 3D printer. They all scratch the same itch: figuring out how something works and getting a little better at it.
Leadership principles
- Start with purposeIf nobody can explain why a piece of work matters, adding it to a roadmap will not help.
- Keep listening to customersCustomer input should keep showing up after planning starts.
- Show the riskMake constraints and trade-offs easy to see. Know how you will back out if a change goes wrong.
- Pay attention to how the team worksThe way a team makes decisions and assigns ownership shapes what it can deliver.
- Change your mindHave a view, but change it when the evidence changes.