027: How to Define a Clear IoT Vision

Enterprise Product Leadership

Welcome to episode #27 of IoT Product Leadership, a podcast featuring in-depth conversations with product leaders on what it takes to build great IoT products. I’m your host, Daniel Elizalde.

I have a very special episode for you. Today I have not one, but two incredible Product experts in the show. My guests are Bruce McCarthy and C. Todd Lombardo.

Bruce and C. Todd are experienced Product Leaders and co-authors of the book: Product Roadmaps Relaunched, which by the way I think is one of the best Product books to come out in recent years.

I’ve known Bruce and C. Todd for a while now. Every time we get together we have very rich and passionate product conversations. So I’m very excited to bring those conversations to the show.

In this episode we discuss key leadership topics such as, why should IoT be part of your product strategy? How to work with Executives to clarify the company vision, and we discuss the 10 universal business objectives companies can use to drive their strategy.

This is an episode no IoT product leader should miss.

About Bruce McCarthy and C. Todd Lombardo:

Bruce McCarthy is a serial entrepreneur, author, organizer, and speaker at product, UX, and innovation events around the world. He helps growing organizations achieve their product visions through workshops, mentoring, and team coaching. Bruce's co-wrote Product Roadmapping Relaunched: How to Set Direction While Embracing Uncertainty and opines regularly about Product Culture.

Originally trained as a scientist, C. Todd Lombardo has held job titles ranging from scientist, to engineer, to product manager, to designer, and even professor. He is usually leading product and experience teams at startups. He serves on the adjunct faculty at IE Business School in Madrid, as well as Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). He is a published O'Reilly Media author with two titles: Design Sprint (2015) and Product Roadmaps Relaunched (2017). He never turns down a good chocolate chip cookie.

Topics we discuss in this episode:

• Bruce and C. Todd share their backgrounds.
• Why IoT should be incorporated into your solution.
• How Product Leaders work with Executives to clarify their vision.
• The 10 universal business objectives.
• Key results and metrics.
• How to achieve alignment and buy-in within your company.
• Strategy you need to manage up: objectives, priorities, shuttle diplomacy, negotiation skills.
• Advice for Product Leaders who are new at developing IoT solutions.

To learn more about Bruce and C.Todd:

• Bruce on LinkedIn
• C.Todd on LinkedIn
• Bruce on Twitter
• C.Todd on Twitter
• Product Roadmapping Relaunched: How to Set Direction While Embracing Uncertainty
• Product Culture
• C.Todd

Free download:

Don’t forget to download my IoT product strategy template, for free.

Related Resources:

• What Is An IoT Product Manager?
• IoT Framework for Product Managers
• How to Build an IoT Product Roadmap