Event Replay: The Key Skills for Future C-Suite Product Leaders
The past few years radically changed the way the world works, from the covid-19 pandemic and recession to the recent lay-offs in the tech sector. A lot is out of our control, yet change is the only constant. So, how should leaders in product-led organisations act to stay ahead of the competition?
In our latest webinar, we looked at the key skills required to become Future-Fit. Aspire CEO Chris Locke was joined by four experienced leaders with a breadth of experience in product leadership across a range of sectors.
Sonal Lakhani, Global Head of Programmes and Strategic Initiatives for Group Innovation at Barclays
Ian McClelland, CEO of the New Skills Academy
Ruth Penfold-Brown, Director of Pancakes and Peacocks and former Chief People Officer at BP Launchpad
Craig Strong, Global Practice Leader at AWS
The panel discussed how leaders should respond to the current fast-paced global change with the speed and agility needed to grow and thrive.
Below are the key takeaways.
Customer centricity. These days customers are well-informed, intelligent and empowered to make informed choices. Leaders need to know how to reach customers on their terms, and move with them. A power shift during the pandemic means many companies are realising that some of their most important customers are their employees; developing the capabilities to enable and train employees to be their best selves is key.
EQ, psychological safety and communication. Until we truly understand who we are and our impact on others, we can’t be the right leader for other people. To get humans to innovate and unleash their creativity, you must provide them with psychological safety and allow them to experiment and fail; to do that, you must be self-aware enough to understand your impact and develop the skill of building phenomenal relationships. One of the biggest cultural problems in organisations is the inability to have difficult conversations. Lean into discomfort – growth is uncomfortable for everyone.
Social cohesion and smaller teams. Within companies, hierarchies are dissolving and people are making better connections. This social cohesion across organisations allows sharing of ideas, and enables those ideas to be rapidly merged into innovative benefits. Additionally, the impact of smaller teams should not be underestimated – there’s more autonomy, and less governance and complicated social dynamics. The future C-suite may be smaller and less traditional; roles may merge and be boiled down to the key functional staff around a product.
Prioritisation. What you prioritise and where you allocate resources are critical. “The battle between every startup and the incumbent comes down to whether the startup gets distribution before the incumbent gets innovation.” In a corporate, prioritising lots of innovation is key, because you’re under attack from so many different startups.
Embracing failure. “If you don’t feel like an imposter in one out of five conversations, you aren’t pushing yourself.” In startup culture, failure is embraced and celebrated. It’s important to get better at talking about failure in the corporate world.
Ethics and sustainability. The future C-suite may require an ethics officer to look at the ethics of products and their implications. Additionally, pressure is mounting from consumers – and potential future legislation – for companies to address their climate impact and respond accordingly.
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