Working with executives and senior leadership

The executives and senior leadership have a significant impact on your product's success but often have limited time and different priorities.

• Focus on business outcomes: Executives are primarily concerned with how your product impacts broader business goals. Connect your product work to revenue, user growth, market positioning, and strategic initiatives.
• Be concise and direct: Senior leaders have packed schedules. Present information clearly and get to the point quickly. Lead with the most important information rather than building up to it.
• Prepare for questions: Anticipate what executives might ask and have answers ready. Think through potential concerns about timelines, resources, risks, and competitive positioning.
• Provide context, not just status: Help executives understand not just what's happening, but why it matters. Explain the significance of progress or challenges in relation to company objectives.
• Offer solutions, not just problems: When raising issues to senior leadership, come prepared with potential solutions or recommendations. This demonstrates proactive problem-solving.
• Understand their metrics: Learn which metrics and KPIs matter most to different executives, and frame your updates in those terms when possible.