Understanding how to influence executives with Rich Mironov

Innovation Talks

Rich Mironov is a tech start-up veteran, writer, and coach for product leaders with four decades of experience in Silicon Valley's product management landscape. With his expertise, he’s led six start-ups to success. Rich occasionally acts as the interim VP of Products or CPO for software companies, lending his expertise to drive their success. With a passion for sharing knowledge, Rich has been an avid blogger on software product management since 2002. His influential insights and expertise have been compiled in his book, The Art of Product Management. He continues to shape the industry with his wealth of experience and dedication to empowering product teams. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Yale University, where his thesis focused on dinosaur extinction theories. He also holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Today, Rich and I discuss how product management influences innovation. Rich elaborates on the role of product managers in innovating at the feature and sub-feature levels. He explains why he is wary of the word “innovation” and what he believes it should mean. He tells us how product managers can turn innovation into an intentional process that produces an impactful result. He shares how product managers can sell their ideas to get the resources they need and make a logical financial argument to show how proposed ideas will benefit the company financially. Rich also highlights the importance of accountability for product managers in driving forward progress with the product.

“We're an important driver of the system, but let's not get our heads too big that we can't walk through the doors of our building like everybody else.” -Rich Mironov

This week on Innovation Talks:

● How product managers can influence executives

● Common product management challenges and opportunities

● How product innovation and leadership are connected

● The benefits of pruning product backlogs

● How to attach money to roadmap items

● How to speak an executive’s language

● The role of product managers in product waste

● Discovery challenges for product managers

● The origins of Rich’s Product Camp

Connect with Rich Mironov:

● Rich Mironov’s Website

● Book: The Art of Product Management: Lessons from a Silicon Valley Innovator by Rich Mironov

● Rich Mironov on LinkedIn

● Rich Mironov on Twitter

● Rich Mironov on Medium

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