Advertise on podcast: 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 t

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