Published 8 March 2024

· 5 min read

Let’s hear it for the women working in product

In celebration of International Women’s Day we’ve rounded up some recent seminal #mtpcon talks given by a few of the many outstanding women working in product management.

3 myths that get in the way of product adoption by Martina Lauchengo

In this keynote session at #mtpcon SF+Americas 2022, Martina Lauchengco, Partner at SVPG and author of Loved: How to rethink marketing for tech products, unpicks three myths of product that get in the way of driving product adoption.

“We’ve gotten to the stage where everything feels a little generic. We stopped telling people what they need to hear to understand why they should lean in and pay attention.”

Myth 1: Build a great product – but the truth is that building the perception of the product is as important, sometimes more important, than building the product itself.

Myth 2: Improve your product’s NPS  – but the truth is that for it to be noticed and make a difference in how a product is adopted and its future success, you must massively improve NPS for what matters most – and not all areas of the product are equal.

Myth 3: Good marketing requires good marketers – but the truth is that anyone can do great product marketing.

Watch the original talk: 3 myths that get in the way of product adoption by Martina Lauchengo

Modern-day leadership by Janice Fraser

In this #mtpcon San Francisco keynote from 2023, Silicon Valley veteran and author Janice Fraser dives into the essentials of effective modern-day leadership.

In this compelling and very personal talk, Janice looks at her journey to leadership, commenting that with the world around us in an accelerating state of chaos, the need for agile and effective leadership is more urgent than ever. She runs through four leadership “motions”, or things leaders can do, namely: orient honestly, value outcomes, leverage the brains, and make durable decisions.

 “I think most drama comes from difficulties in decision-making. I think decision making is a leadership skill. If you can facilitate great decision-making in a great decision-making process by bringing this more realistic framing to it, then you’re going to improve the culture of your organisations tremendously.”

Watch the original talk: Modern-day leadership by Janice Fraser

How to keep your head about generative AI (when everyone is losing theirs) by Claire Woodcock

In this eminently practical talk from #mtpcon London 2023, Claire Woodcock, Director of Product, ML, at Mozilla, runs through five essential steps for incorporating generative AI into your product.

“I really wanted to demonstrate that using this technology does not take you away from core product principles. Yes the hype is pretty real, but the product basics stay the same. Trust in yourself as a product person and try to apply your skills to this new technology.”

Watch the original talk: How to keep your head about generative AI (when everyone is losing theirs) by Claire Woodcock

Taming your product gremlins: an antidote guide for product people by Keji Adedeji

At #mtpcon London 2023 Keji Adedeji, Product Director at the Financial Times, shone a light on some of the product “gremlins” that plague people at work, and some of the antidotes required to help manage them.

She says it’s not uncommon for product people to experience feelings of self-doubt and fear, and face burnout and imbalance in their lives

Career progression is an obstacle to overcome, she says, with each step potentially leading to a major change and sense of imposter syndrome. By being intentional and cultivating practices around self-awareness, self-care and community, and understanding how to meet your organisation where it’s at, you can manage and overcome some of these challenges.

“It’s all of our jobs to open the curtains, shine and direct some light on your gremlins and talk about these things out loud.”

Watch the original talk: Taming your product gremlins: an antidote guide for product people by Keji Adedeji

The importance of psychological safety for remote teams by Diana Stepner

At last year’s #mtpcon San Francisco,  Diana Stepner, Head of Product, Education at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, shared her insights on the importance of psychological safety for remote teams.

Psychological safety leads individuals to thrive, and feel safe and empowered,  giving businesses a competitive advantage. Diana urges us to embrace our imposter syndrome, and create environments where people feel safe. She emphasises the importance of role and responsibility clarity, of embracing learning and of not criticising mistakes.

“Embrace fear, tension, and doubt.You are not alone; many people face it just like you. It can make you better in your roles… it takes courage to go out and explore new avenues to create good products, if you try it, then it ends up being worth the effort.”

Watch the original talk: The importance of psychological safety for remote teams by Diana Stepner