Product Leaders Share Their Team Priorities for 2025 (with Melika Hope and Ken Romano)

The Product Manager

The product industry is constantly evolving, and navigating silos—both across departments and between leadership levels—can make career growth feel like a challenge. Without alignment, collaboration suffers, progress stalls, and figuring out how to advance becomes even harder.

In this special panel episode, host Hannah Clark is joined by Melika Hope (Director of Product Management at Spotify) and Ken Romano (VP of Product at Stacker) to discuss what product leaders truly value in 2025. They dive into the skills, strategies, and mindset shifts that can help you make a real impact on your product, team, and career this year.

Resources from this episode:

• Subscribe to The Product Manager newsletter
• Connect with Melika and Ken on LinkedIn
• Check out Spotify and Stacker

Chapters

1. Product Leaders Share Their Team Priorities for 2025 (with Melika Hope and Ken Romano) (00:00:00)

2. Key Leadership Focus (00:01:24)

3. Key Takeaways from 2024 and Leadership Insights for 2025 (00:04:50)

4. Skills and Qualities for Career Advancement (00:07:00)

5. Leading by Example: Inspirational Stories (00:10:58)

6. Navigating the Competitive Job Market (00:13:38)

7. Promoting Leadership: What to Look For (00:16:02)

8. Example of Leadership in Action (00:19:14)

9. Breaking Down Silos in Organizations (00:21:05)

10. Competing Priorities and Time Management (00:25:57)

11. Advice for Individual Contributors (00:29:39)

12. Best Resources for Staying Updated (00:33:54)

13. The Role of AI in Product Management (00:35:51)

14. Transitioning from Program Management to Product Management (00:38:50)

15. Building Your Personal Brand (00:39:36)

16. Are Roadmaps Still Used? (00:43:39)