Fearless is Now Available for Pre-Order!
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Can Incentives Help You Productize?
One CEO recently shared with me, “We need to restructure our incentive plan. Our consultants are all incented on short-term revenue, which is making it very hard to get traction with our new products that have lower price points but better margins and more revenue visibility.”
Your Product Management Dream Team
Whom to hire—and when to hire them—to score big product wins.
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How to Manage Organizational Transformation for Productization in B2B Services
To play at a high level, these companies have to undergo significant organizational transformation.
The Four Hallmarks of a Product Friendly Culture
Services Firms don’t need to become product-led organizations. They do need to become product friendly.
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The Best Product Visions are Aspirational and Concrete
Productizing services firms can use well-crafted vision statements to galvanize support for profound organizational transformation.
How Product Reviews Can Be a Trojan Horse for Change Management
“Our product review board meetings are less about improving the performance of the product portfolio and more about getting people to buy into our productization strategy. They allow people to come with ideas, source ideas, and get involved in the process. They give us a chance to see who is willing to raise their hand, come on board, become true believers, and take that back to their own teams."
How to: Structure Your Organization to Support Your Product Vision
The most successful productizing companies have a product organizational structure that is driven by and aligned with a well-articulated vision and goals for the productization strategy. A product org structure that is misaligned with the goals of the productization strategy puts great product ideas at risk of lackluster performance, racking up costs, or never making it to launch in the first place.
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What Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro Taught Me About Overcoming Fear
Fear management in B2B professional services is the practice of mitigating psychological and operational barriers to innovation and product development. This process involves helping leaders navigate the uncertainty of shifting from bespoke services to scalable products. Mastering this skill is essential because it allows organizations to grow and protect their business while delivering honest, data-driven feedback to clients. Understanding how to apply risk management to business operations provides a framework for leaders to navigate these uncertainties effectively.
Key Takeaways
• Fear management mitigates psychological and operational barriers to innovation in B2B professional services.
• Leaders can learn how to apply risk management to business by following structured, controllable practices.
• The think big, start small approach mirrors the non-linear progress required for successful product development.
• Focusing on controllable risks prevents analysis paralysis and improves decision-making during complex business initiatives.
• Practicing gratitude and seeking expert guidance builds the resilience necessary for long-term organizational success.
I’ve also watched brave colleagues, friends and family stare down fears when the stakes are much higher - a cancer diagnosis or a sick child, for example. And I think of their ‘fearlessness’ when my smaller work-related fears can feel all-consuming.
In August, I practiced fearlessness by summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, a process that mirrors the risk management required in product innovation. On August 3, I reached the peak with my 16-year-old daughter, Kate.
How to Innovate More Effectively: Say Thanks, Practice Gratitude
Gratitude practices have been a mainstream personal improvement trend for almost 20 years, since psychologists began testing the role of gratitude to positively impact mental health and boost happiness. Science shows that consistent gratitude practice–taking time out to recognize and say thanks for the good things in our lives–has a host of personal benefits, including increased happiness and positive mood, less experience of burnout, better sleep, and more patience, humility, and wisdom.
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