Promoting and supporting product leaders

Turning innovative ideas into tangible products and services that touch hearts and move markets is the currency of the digital age. This is the charge and the challenge for today’s product leader.

Product leaders are very much like conductors, orchestrating many pieces with masterful timing and finesse. Like a symphony, it is not enough for each section to be good on its own – they have to work in harmony to create great music. The same is true for creating great products.

Companies have to innovate to survive. Product managers have an integral role to play as business leaders, driving revenue and creating and sustaining a workplace culture that fosters innovation and inspires employees.

The best leaders, the ones we see having the most impact, are forward thinking and strategic, ask a lot of questions, challenge the status quo, and are not afraid to take risks. They work well with the business’ broader ecosystems and they bring a systems-thinking mindset.

There are many steps on the journey from concept to scale. And we’re here to help, regardless of where you are on your product-development journey. It’s one of the main reasons we’re sponsoring this podcast series, Leaders in Innovation, with our partner, Products That Count. We found innovative leaders from various industries who embraced the challenges of ideation, design, large-scale systems and engineering, and re-evaluating existing business models. They share insights and experiences, from recognizing that first inkling of possibility to mastering the market.

People like Darren Adams of Unilever, who used digital technology to create new value for Unilever and its customers. Adams talks about finding your source of inspiration to ignite creativity, pulling it through the lens of data-driven insight to arrive at a valued and valuable product.

Taking that product through the physical design phase to create a product that is visually appealing and differentiated enough that you’ll be able to leapfrog the competition is the domain of Jerry Callahan, founder of Heatworks.

Ensuring that your business model matches your business goals, understanding the importance of creating your moment in the market, is the critical next step. Glen Fields of Rockwell Automation shares his expertise in using business model frameworks to grow and expand offerings. ​

Ready to scale? Intel’s Samir Sharma takes you through the results realized when combining engineering and advanced technologies. Many systems. Many ecosystems. Multiple partners. Multiple goals. He found that harnessing 5G, AI, and Edge computing to create smart cities required scaling up services and systems to achieve success.

“Sustainability has arrived.” That’s arguably the greatest quote to sum up where we, as business leaders and innovators, are in the fight to create sustainable products and services. It’s from Hamilton Beach’s Drew Carlson, who discusses the company’s sustainability efforts.

It’s an important reminder that sustainability and environmental impacts need to be identified and addressed at each stage of product development. From packaging components to energy impacts and how products are physically delivered to the market – all are integral to sustainability success. It’s no longer an option. Sustainability is at every step, end-to-end, of product development.

This Leaders in Innovation podcast series is from product leaders to product leaders, offering practical advice and, we hope, inspiration to help your success, regardless of where you are on your product-development journey.

Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Learn more about Capgemini Intelligent Products & Services.