In this episode of the Productized Podcast, host Pedro Ganço sits down with Ken Sandy, a seasoned product leader with over two decades of experience in the consumer, enterprise, and education technology sectors. Ken is the author of The Influential Product Manager: How to Lead and Launch Successful Technology Products and has shaped product teams at renowned companies like MasterClass and LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). In addition, he lectures on product management at UC Berkeley, where he pioneered one of the first courses in the discipline within the engineering school.
Ken's career spans a wide range of experiences, from consulting at McKinsey & Co to leading teams through digital transformations and product strategy execution. In this episode, Ken shares invaluable lessons on growing from an individual contributor to a leader, mastering influence, and making data-driven decisions in fast-paced product environments.
In this episode, Ken covered:
The importance of influence over authority in product management.
How to transition from junior product manager to leader.
The role of strategic thinking versus execution.
The challenges of decision-making with incomplete data.
The impact of stakeholder management on product success.
Some Takeaways from Ken:
Embrace influence over authority. Product managers rarely have direct authority but must drive outcomes through collaboration. Ken highlights the power of influence—understanding stakeholders, presenting compelling narratives, and backing decisions with data. He emphasizes that influence isn’t about manipulation but about bringing others along through transparency and shared ownership.
Balance strategy with execution. A strong product leader doesn’t just strategize; they ensure that strategy turns into action. Ken explains that while thinking big is crucial, success comes from execution. He shares lessons from his time at MasterClass and LinkedIn Learning, where he had to bridge the gap between vision and implementation, ensuring that great ideas translated into impactful products.
Master the art of decision-making. Product managers face constant trade-offs, often with limited data. Ken introduces a mental model: prioritize decisions based on impact and reversibility. High-impact, irreversible decisions demand more careful analysis, while smaller, reversible decisions should be made quickly to maintain momentum.
Adopt a structured approach to stakeholder management. Ken highlights that product managers must engage with diverse stakeholders, from executives to customer support teams. He shares an example from his consulting experience, where recognizing the influence of a front-desk employee improved team morale and efficiency. Identifying key influencers at every level is crucial to driving successful product outcomes.
Develop a personal growth mindset. Aspiring product managers often struggle to transition into leadership roles. Ken advises that instead of waiting for a formal title, individuals should start acting as leaders by taking ownership, coaching others, and demonstrating a deep understanding of business challenges. He shares his own journey from engineering to consulting to product leadership, emphasizing continuous learning.
Prioritization should be transparent and criteria-based. One of the biggest challenges in product management is prioritization. Ken suggests a two-step framework: first, align stakeholders on clear prioritization criteria; second, use these criteria to rank projects. He explains that this approach minimizes subjective debates and shifts the focus toward strategic decision-making.
Think long-term and optimize for customer value. Ken’s philosophy prioritizes customers first, followed by the business, then the team, and finally, oneself. He argues that making customer-centric decisions, even when they challenge short-term business goals, leads to sustainable success. He provides real-world examples of difficult trade-offs he had to make to maintain product integrity.
Where to find Ken:
LinkedIn: Ken Sandy
Website: InfluentialPM
Topics covered in this episode:
[00:00] Introduction to Product Leadership Challenges
[06:30] Transitioning from IC to PM Leadership
[12:15] Strategy vs. Execution in Product Management
[18:42] The Role of Influence and Stakeholder Management
[24:10] Decision-Making Frameworks for PMs
[31:22] Lessons from MasterClass and LinkedIn Learning
[39:50] Product Prioritization Techniques
[48:05] The Future of Product Leadership
Referenced:
The Influential Product Manager by Ken Sandy: https://influentialpm.com/
MasterClass: www.masterclass.com
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com): https://www.linkedin.com/learning/
McKinsey & Co: https://www.mckinsey.com/
UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology: https://scet.berkeley.edu/
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): OKRs on Wikipedia
Lean Startup methodology: Lean Startup on Wikipedia
The concept of Product-Market Fit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product-market_fit#:~:text=Marc%20Andreessen%20defined%20the%20term,problem%20or%20need%20that%20exists.
Prioritization frameworks (RICE, MoSCoW, Kano Model): https://www.atlassian.com/agile/product-management/prioritization-framework
Decision-making under uncertainty (Cynefin Framework): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework#:~:text=Cynefin%20offers%20five%20decision%2Dmaking,own%20and%20other%20people's%20behaviour.
The importance of storytelling in product management: https://productschool.com/blog/skills/storytelling-product-managers
Influence vs. manipulation in leadership: https://tybennett.com/influence-vs-manipulation/#:~:text=The%20fundamental%20difference%20between%20manipulation,in%20our%20efforts%20to%20influence.
Business viability in product decision-making: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/product-viability-framework-assessing-potential-fit-anupam-kumar-mba/
Data-driven decision-making in product strategy: https://www.houseware.io/blog/data-drive-product-strategy#:~:text=A%20data%2Ddriven%20product%20strategy%20is%20a%20product%20development%20and,strategy%20to%20the%20next%20level.
The role of mentorship in PM career growth: https://www.productleadership.com/the-role-of-mentorship-in-product-management-career-development/
Transitioning from an engineer to a PM: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/engineer-to-project-manager
The power of customer empathy in product leadership: https://userpilot.com/blog/customer-empathy/#:~:text=Product%20managers%20need%20customer%20empathy,it%20comes%20to%20developing%20solutions.
This episode is packed with actionable insights for product managers at any level, offering guidance on developing influence, making strategic decisions, and growing into leadership roles. Tune in to learn from Ken Sandy’s wealth of experience in product management, consulting, and education.
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