Episode 229: Navigating Urgency and Strategy in Product Leadership with Oji and Ezinne Udezue

Product Thinking

Join us on this episode of the Product Thinking Podcast as Oji and Ezinne, co-authors of "Building Rocketships: Product Management for High-Growth Companies”, discuss the pivotal role of Product Managers in the AI era. As they share insights from their experiences with innovation and product development, Oji and Ezinne explore how PMs must adapt to the rapidly evolving technological landscape to remain relevant.

In this episode, they delve into the balance between customer focus and business needs, highlighting the significance of people, execution, leadership, and communication. Oji and Ezinne emphasize the need for PMs to lead conversations, advocate for solutions that address customer issues, and stay attuned to industry shifts.

If you're eager to understand how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that AI presents to Product Management, don't miss out on these valuable insights!

You'll hear us talk about:

• 28:55 - Balancing Board Pressure and Long-Term Vision

Oji shares advice on managing the pressure from board members while maintaining the focus on long-term strategy and vision, a perennial challenge for product managers.

• 40:12 - AI at the Core vs. the Edge

Ezinne discusses the difference between companies that integrate AI at their core versus those that only sprinkle AI on top. Learn what it means to truly embed AI in your company's workflow and how to approach it strategically.

• 49:38 - The Evolving Role of Product Managers

Ezinne covers how the role of PMs is changing with AI's capabilities in areas like PRDs and data diagnostics, questioning whether AI will replace product managers or simply change the way they work.

Episode resources:

Oji on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/

Ezinne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezinne/

Building Rocketships: https://shop.damngravity.com/products/building-rocketships-udezue?variant=43588962779312

Check our new course: https://productinstitute.com/p/mastering-product-strategy-overview