How to move from project thinking to product thinking with Steve Johnson

Innovation Talks

Steve Johnson is an author, speaker, and coach dedicated to helping teams overcome the chaos in product management. He is a founding partner and the CEO of Product Growth Leaders, an organization that helps product leaders remove the confusion of managing products by providing a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities and a playbook of modern techniques. Before Product Growth Leaders, Steve served as the CEO of Under10 Consulting LLC and the Vice President of Products for Pragmatic Institute. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Computer Science from Hallam College of Business at the University of Tennessee.

Steve joins me today to discuss how the lack of standardization, best practices, and conversations about product management makes the field chaotic. He describes his journey from marketing and computer science to product management. He explains the importance of understanding both the business and technical aspects of product management. He highlights how generative AI like chat GPT—though it can spark creativity and generate ideas—still needs the guidance of human judgment. Steve also offers advice to people interested in delving into the product management career and shares insights on offering consulting services as products.

“Everything's a product. If you sell it, it's a product—and it should be treated that way.” - Steve Johnson

This week on Innovation Talks:

● Encountering chaos in product management

● How product management emerged as a specialized role in organizations

● The difference between brand management and product management

● How Procter & Gamble created the brand manager job

● The “servant” and “god” product manager

● Why business thinking should be brought into product management

● Why generative AI will not cost you your job

● The importance of human judgment and guidance in the effective use of generative AI

● Why you need to look at generative AI as a college intern

● Using generative AI as an ideation and pattern-matching tool

● The value of Generative AI and chatGPT in open innovation

● The distinction between project and product management

● Why companies are shifting from project to product management

● Shifting from a project-based to a product-based mindset

● The drawbacks of treating products as projects

Related Episode:

● Taking a systematic approach to the product management process with Steve Johnson

Connect with Steve Johnson:

● Product Growth Leaders

● Product Growth Leaders on LinkedIn

● Product Growth Leaders on Twitter

● Steve Johnson on LinkedIn

● Steve Johnson on Twitter

● Email: [e-mail]

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