Enterprise Product Leadership

Welcome to the Enterprise Product Leadership podcast. Join Daniel Elizalde as he interviews Product Leaders on what it takes to launch Enterprise and Industrial products into the market. Whether you are a Product, Design, Engineering, UX, Data, or Business Leader, this show will give you insights into how top companies approach their products' lifecycle. Daniel Elizalde is the host of the Enterprise Product Leadership podcast. He is a Product Executive with over 20 years of experience, including former VP at Ericsson, former head of Products at Stem (GE-backed startup), and PM instructor at Stanford University. Learn more at danielelizalde.com.

053: Cybersecurity for Industry 4.0: the good, the bad and the ugly, with Rob Dyson 10/26/2021

052: Why Edge and AI hold the key to scaling Industry 4.0 with Jose Favilla 10/05/2021

051: Product Innovation and Jobs to Be Done with Tony Ulwick 08/24/2021

050: How to price new B2B products with Mark Stiving 08/10/2021

049: Continuous Discovery Habits with Teresa Torres 07/27/2021

048: Losant's Journey from Idea to Successful Enterprise IoT company with Charlie Key 07/13/2021

047: Behind the scenes of Workday’s product strategy with Connie DeWitt 06/29/2021

046: How Subscription Models Help You Win, Keep, and Grow Customers with Mark Stiving 06/01/2021

046: How Subscription Models Help You Win, Keep, and Grow Customers with Mark Stiving Transitioning to a subscription model is not easy but the challenge is worth it because SaaS products provide a host of benefits to both the companies that offer them and the clients they serve. Our guest for today is Mark Stiving, author of Win Keep Grow, and he joins us to share important insights from his book to help us learn the fundamentals of accelerating a subscription business. Mark kicks things off with a story about how he got interested in prices, and then we go on an exploration of the connection between pricing and value. From there, Mark talks about how he began to study subscriptions, got fascinated by this model from a value perspective, and essentially combined his biggest aha moments into his new book. We go on a deep dive into some of the frameworks for understanding subscriptions Mark lays out in Win Keep Grow, looking firstly at how this model can be used to acquire and retain customers through renewals, but then also to expand through upgrades. We then get into the second framework which is all about how to take advantage of the expansion possibilities of subscriptions by using three different levers: market segments, pricing metrics, and packaging. In today’s conversation, listeners also get to hear Mark’s perspectives on the benefits and biggest challenges of transferring to a subscription model, before we wrap up with some top tips for companies looking to take the plunge. So for all this and more about how subscription models help you win, keep, and grow customers, tune in today! Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Mark, his education, and superpower of helping companies understand value. Discussing the difficulty of pricing; toeing the line between seeming valuable versus arrogant. Understanding the ‘acquisition, retention, expansion’ framework in Win Keep Grow. Mark explains how the ‘three value levers’ framework in the book helps companies grow. The ability that cloud companies have of using usage data to design tiered packages. The use of the customer success department to SaaS companies and its functions. Mark’s thoughts on why SaaS companies should be thinking about the benefits of their products. Why subscription models benefit B2B companies: valuation, competition, and customer relations. Challenges that companies face when transitioning to a subscription model. Different models for compensating the sales team after transferring to a subscription model. How companies can get better at getting their clients to not just renew but upgrade their subscriptions. Using the ‘insurance company mentality’ when transferring to a subscription model. Advice from Mark for product leaders considering transferring to a subscription model. Links From Today’s Episode: /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/19304684

045: Why Startups and Big Companies Struggle to Innovate with Steve Blank 05/18/2021

045: Why Startups and Big Companies Struggle to Innovate with Steve Blank The Lean Startup movement is integral to the foundation of modern entrepreneurship. Despite its proven success there are still many businesses, including both startups and established companies, that struggle to apply Lean principles and continue to build products through the waterfall approach. In today’s episode, we are joined by Steve Blank. In addition to being an author, entrepreneur, and professor, he is also widely recognized as an early father of the Lean Startup movement. In our discussion, Steve reflects on the current state of innovation in startups and enterprises and what can be done to improve it. Hear what it means to be an ambidextrous organization and why Steve holds it in such high regard. As we dive into the premise of Lean, Steve explains why on your first day as a startup, all you have is a series of untested hypotheses, whereas for an established organization the departure point is from a series of knowns. Later we discuss the concept of innovation theatre and why it’s more prevalent in established companies. Listeners can also expect to hear why the same processes for innovation that do well in startups, don’t work well for large organizations, largely because they are designed to minimize risk. Steve also shares examples of how the VP of sales can undermine innovation and why senior leadership in large organizations generally needs a lot of reform. We were honored to have Steve on the show and had a highly engaging and informative conversation that we know you’ll enjoy! Key Points From This Episode: Meet today’s guest Steve Blank. The current state of innovation in startups and enterprises. What it means to be an ambidextrous organization. Every company needs to be able to execute and innovate concurrently. Steve compares how the startup landscape has changed from when he started. Why startups still tend to have a technology-first approach, rather than customer first. The departure point for the premise of lean is that on your first day as a startup all you have is a series of untested hypotheses. In an established organization the departure point is from a series of knowns, like your existing customer needs, your supply chain, etc. Why founders are often too certain and why it’s a problem. Finding a repeatable and scalable business model as a startup. A discussion on the concept of innovation theatre. Steve shares an anecdote explaining the ‘cargo cult’ to illustrate how large corporations misjudge what it means to have a lean approach. Why large organizations can withstand innovation theatre for longer than a startup. The same processes that do so well in startups for innovation don’t work for large organizations because they are designed to minimize risk. Large organizations are not designed to innovate with speed and urgency. With innovation, you want to take reasonable risks. Why senior leadership needs to be reformed. How the VP of sales can undermine innovation in a company. When you have a disruptive innovation inside your own company you need to protect it from certain heads of department. How Steve describes an innovation doctrine or an innovation pipeline and how to construct and adopt it. Links From Today’s Episode: /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/19132844

044: Behind the Scenes of Dolby’s new Cloud platform with Stephane Giraudie 05/04/2021

044: Behind the Scenes of Dolby’s new Cloud platform with Stephane Giraudie What if developers could incorporate lifelike HD audio and video capability into any application they built so that users did not have to resort to third-party apps to communicate? This is precisely the service provided by Dolby’s new cloud-based audio, voice, and video API platform, Dolby.io. Today we speak to Stephane Giraudi, Senior Director of Cloud Communication at Dolby.io, to get a behind-the-scenes look at the audiovisual technology giant’s disruptive new offering. Stephane was previously the CEO of Voxeet, a company that enabled WebRTC with crystal clear 3D surround sound, audio, and video before Dolby acquired it. After the acquisition, the two firms joined forces and merged their strengths to produce Dolby.io. Our conversation starts with Stephane sketching out the services provided by Dolby.io and the new industries Dolby is penetrating as a result. From there, we talk about how enterprise firms can accelerate their roadmap by partnering with startups. Stephane shares his experiences joining Dolby and weighs in on challenges and lessons learned regarding finding common ground between startups and enterprise-scale firms' respective strengths and weaknesses. Wrapping up, we talk to Stephane about changing the monetization model at Dolby into a SaaS offering and hearing his approach to building products aimed at developers. Tune in today! Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Stephane and his career leading up to his position at Dolby. The service Dolby.io provides; helping developers embed audiovisual communications in their apps. New industries Dolby can tap with the services provided through Dolby.io. How large companies can accelerate their roadmap by working with startups; Stephane’s experiences being acquired by Dolby. The strategy and challenges involved with Dolby moving to a SaaS-based monetization model. Lessons around how to acquire a company and integrate it into a broader firm. Best practices for building products aimed at developers and their user experience. Whether Dolby.io is optimizing its functionality for a certain class of apps. Advice for corporations who want to partner with startups. Links From Today’s Episode: /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/18957578

043: Product Research Rules with C. Todd Lombardo 04/20/2021

043: Product Research Rules with C. Todd Lombardo Getting to know your customer’s pains is one of the biggest challenges of building enterprise software. Joining me to take a deep dive into this topic is my good friend and return guest, C. Todd Lombardo. As the VP of Product & Experience at Openly, an insurance-tech startup, C. Todd is a seasoned product leader in the B2B space with a ton of experience leading in-house product teams to success. He has also written two of my favorite product books: Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty, and, of course, his newest book, Product Research Rules: Nine Foundational Rules for Product Teams to Run Accurate Research that Delivers Actionable Insight. In this episode, C. Todd and I discuss topics based on three of the nine product rules included in his newest book, Product Research Rules: 1) How to align your team/s on the right question/s to research 2) How to plan research in a B2B context & 3) Why it is essential to share your findings throughout the innovation process. Episode Details: Product Research Rules with C. Todd Lombardo: “Start with the problem first; Don’t start with the solution or the technology.” — C. Todd Lombardo About C. Todd Lombardo: Data nerd. Design geek. Product Fanatic. Product-guy who believes “product” is not the right fit for today's data-driven, experiential world. C. Todd focuses on building and mentoring teams in areas of user experience design, product management, and product strategy. Currently, he is the VP of Product & Experience at Openly, an insurance-tech startup. In addition to leading in-house product teams to success, C. Todd has worked as a design and product strategy consultant for notable clients such as TripAdvisor, LogMeIn, Spotify, New York Times, BBVA, FedEx, Lowes, and Genentech. Additionally, he serves on the adjunct faculty at Madrid's IE Business School and Baltimore's Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where he teaches graduate-level courses in design, innovation, and data visualization. Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Todd’s career background and experience in various product roles About his newest book, Product Research Rules: Nine Foundational Rules for Product Teams to Run Accurate Research that Delivers Actionable Insight What you need to know to build a product that solves the problem(s) of your customers or users How to conduct research to fully understand what the problem is that you’re trying to address with the product you are creating What some of the key product rules are and how you can leverage them to drive you and your team forward Key insights and examples on “Rule #3: Good insights start with a question.” How to align your team as a leader so they can discover the right questions to ask and research (and get the executive team, management, and stakeholders on board too) Examples of how to create solutions for problems your customers are actually having Key insights and examples on “Rule #4: Plans make research work.” How to access/communicate with your customers in a B2B environment The critical role that the product leader plays in enabling their team to feel empowered Key insights and examples on “Rule #8: Insights are best shared” The importance of good user experience and a good product that fills a need and isn’t just a solution in search of a problem Product Leader Tip of the Week: When it comes to product research, you need to ask simple questions — then listen. The ability to ‘dig in’ and then know when to listen is crucial! Don’t wait to speak. Instead, listen to what somebody is saying and then respond. And don’t forget: be humble if you’re wrong. To Learn More About C. Todd Lombardo: Related Resources: — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders! /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/18766985

042: How Great Positioning Leads to Great Roadmaps (and Not the Other Way Around) with April Dunford 04/06/2021

042: How Great Positioning Leads to Great Roadmaps (and Not the Other Way Around) with April Dunford My guest today is April Dunford, a Product Marketing and Positioning expert. She’s also the author of the best-selling book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It. She is also the founder and CEO of Ambient Strategy, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in positioning for technology companies. In this episode, we discuss how positioning is a crucial element of every product and how bad positioning can have a devastating effect on your roadmap. We talk about the benefit of product management working closely with product marketing (especially at the beginning of the innovation journey), how companies should implement and execute their positioning strategy, and how to begin to create a cohesive product strategy that can generate value and money. This is a fun and insightful episode that no product leader should miss! Episode Details: How Great Positioning Leads to Great Roadmaps (and Not the Other Way Around) with April Dunford: “One of the first things I teach people is that everybody’s got to own positioning. … Because positioning impacts everything we do. It’s going to impact what we’re doing in product, it’s going to impact what we’re doing in sales, in marketing, … customer success — it impacts a lot of things.” — April Dunford About April Dunford: April is an experienced startup executive with a deep interest in how companies bring new offerings to market and get them into the hands of customers that are willing to pay for them. She has deep expertise in market positioning and has launched 16 products into the market. She has experience in creating new markets, expanding markets, and positioning new products in existing established markets. April has held executive roles in a series of successful startups as CEO, COO, VP Marketing, and VP Marketing and Sales. She has also held executive roles at global companies such as IBM, where she launched and grew a new product division. Additionally, April is the CEO of Ambient Strategy, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in positioning for technology companies. Through this, she has worked with over 200 companies across the globe, helping them grow faster by ensuring their offerings are clearly differentiated in the market. Topics We Discuss in this Episode: About April’s career background and the work that she does today About her book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It The impetus of what got her interested and invested in positioning Why positioning is so fundamentally important for the marketing of your product The differences between market categories vs. trends (and what makes good ones vs. bad ones) Why you don’t have to be trendy in order to sell product How to create a cohesive product strategy that can generate value and money How to better structure the relationship between product management and product marketing The scope that positioning covers and why everyone needs to be involved Key components of positioning and what you need to consider as a product leader How to have conversations about positioning on all levels of the organization How to mitigate positioning challenges before they happen How to get your whole organization aligned with the positioning How to execute on your positioning throughout the lifecycle of your roadmap Advice for leaders who are new at defining and executing a positioning strategy Product Leader Tip of the Week: You have to create your positioning strategy deliberately. A good product leader should be open to the idea that there are other ways to contextualize what they do beyond databases. You also need to have a structured process. If it is not structured, you will not be able to get a good result. To Learn More About April Dunford: Related Resources: — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders! /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/18579821

041: How to Create Clarity and Alignment across your Organization with Stefano Mastrogiacomo 03/23/2021

041: How to Create Clarity and Alignment across your Organization with Stefano Mastrogiacomo Throughout the life of the Enterprise Product Leadership podcast, I’ve had critical conversations on many product leadership topics such as driving a data strategy with Bill Schmarzo, how to test business ideas with David Bland, how to drive innovation with Geoffrey Moore, and much more. All of these topics are very important for product leaders but there’s one key ingredient that’s missing: the human element of alignment and collaboration. The role of a leader is to ensure everybody is aligned and can contribute to the vision of the product and the company. Without that alignment, there’s no technology, business model, or data strategy that matters. That is why I’m so excited to be joined by Stefano Mastrogiacomo on the show today. Stefano is a management consultant, professor, and author. His book, High-Impact Tools for Teams: 5 Tools to Align Team Members, Build Trust, and Get Results Fast, is the missing manual to achieve and maintain alignment throughout the life of your product. From a leadership perspective, this is probably one of the most important episodes I’ll ever publish. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Episode Details: How to Create Clarity and Alignment across your Organization with Stefano Mastrogiacomo: “Alignment is not easy. It’s not an easy process. Especially when we have different backgrounds, different priorities, etc. So there has to be some initial starting point on which we all converge, regardless of where we come from.” — Stefano Mastrogiacomo About Stefano Mastrogiacomo: Stefano Mastrogiacomo a management consultant, professor, and author. He is passionate about human coordination and he is the designer of the Team Alignment Map, the Team Contract, the Fact Finder, and the other tools presented in this book. He has been leading digital projects and advising project teams in international organizations for more than 20 years while teaching and doing research at the Universities of Lausanne, Switzerland. His interdisciplinary work is anchored in project management, change management, psycholinguistics, evolutionary anthropology, and design thinking. Topics We Discuss in this Episode: Stefano Mastrogiacomo’s career background and journey How and why Stefano originally discovered the importance of alignment Why you need to focus on alignment and coordination in order to get anything done as a leader The key message of Stefano’s book, High-Impact Tools for Teams: 5 Tools to Align Team Members, Build Trust, and Get Results Fast The creative journey of writing his book Why alignment is crucial to driving innovation Key principles in coordination and alignment How Stefano recommends approaching the task of alignment between multiple departments as a product leader About the Team Alignment Tool how it helps structure an alignment conversation that creates mutual clarity Why understanding the mission is the first step to achieving alignment (and how to effectively create a mission with clarity) The human side of the innovation journey The four key requirements for human coordination What co-planning is and how it enables coordination in your organization How to address resistance towards change What you need to address to achieve alignment and coordination in order to have a successful innovation journey Key components that make the execution journey more smooth The challenges of coordination and how to address them How to foster a more collaborative and communicative team How to address common challenges around human coordination The similarities and differences between achieving alignment in small vs. large organizations Common challenges that leaders will face in implementing collaboration tools in their organizations (and how to overcome them) Stefano’s project roadmap and future goals Product Leader Tip of the Week: Stefano recommends going to or and downloading their toolkit. Start experimenting on your projects today! If you would like examples, be sure to check out Stefano’s book, . To Learn More About Stefano Mastrogiacomo: Related Resources: — Download Daniel’s free IoT Product Strategy Template here! Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders! /episode/index/show/iotproductleadership/id/18429557