Quotes from Steven Haines

Storytellers need their stories to resonate with their listeners. So when you envision a goal and describe the action needed to reach that goal, you transform your vision into a portrayal that depicts what's truly possible to move people to action. While you need enough material (data and reasoned analysis) to flesh out the tale, you don't want to bombard people with charts and tables.

Product people are business people, first and foremost. They work across functions and serve to integrate or synchronize the work of others so that products and portfolios can be planned, developed, launched, and managed.

Product people are the stewards or guides who serve to ensure that these products, as investment assets, are tended to and nurtured to produce returns.

Any organization can conceivably accumulate dozens if not hundreds of concepts (ideas and opportunities). There are never enough resources to work on all these good ideas; instead they have to be evaluated, vetted, and culled. Most

you will always have to find out whether a need is transient or persistent

Because each day is different, I thrive on creating something out of nothing, and I love running a business. I also flourish when I know what's going on across the company and who's doing what with whom and why. I love learning from customers, and I marvel at the knowledge and experience of people who contribute to the creation of great products.

Business acumen is the term used to describe a person's understanding of various dimensions of a business that are "in play" as situations arise. This "business common sense" is built up over time, just like practitioners such as surgeons, musicians, or pilots get better with practice.

When product managers in the geographies don't get what they need from corporate, they tend to pursue options that may not be consistent with the overarching goals of the enterprise.

To ensure that there is minimal duplication of effort and for regional product managers to align effectively with the enterprise, a corporate product and portfolio management function is necessary.

How do you minimize product duplication?" or "How do you rationalize product investments on a global basis?