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Product Thinking Newsletter by Melissa Perri

Align Your Team Around a Compelling Mission

Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read

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Hi Product people,

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How do we inspire and align teams to amplify their innovation potential?

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This week on Product Thinking, I had the pleasure of speaking with Keith Lucas, an author and former product leader at Roblox.

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Keith shared insights from his book "Impact," which focuses on building high-performing teams that can scale without losing their creative edge. Our conversation explored how visionary leadership and a mission-driven approach can drive team alignment and innovation.

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"Leadership is often having an idea that is contrary to what people expect. There's a difference between people not understanding your vision and just not believing you have anything worthwhile to say. The first step in having a strategy is to actually have really come upon something compelling."

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We delved into the importance of creating creative constraints and maintaining flow states to foster innovation. Keith also shared how involving teams in strategy formation can lead to more engaged and motivated team members, setting the foundation for sustained growth and success.

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Have you experienced the power of aligning your team around a compelling mission? I'd love to hear your stories. Join the conversation on LinkedIn or reply to this email!

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🎧 Listen to the full episode here: Apple | Spotify​

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Looking forward to hearing from you!

See you soon,

Melissa Perri

Founder Product Institute, Board Member, and Teacher
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You’ll hear us talk about:

  • 05:45 - Visionary Leadership and Team Alignment

Keith explains the importance of visionary leadership and involving teams in strategy formation to inspire and align them with the organization's goals. He discusses how this approach helps in building trust and fostering a shared sense of purpose among team members.

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  • 15:30 - Creative Constraints and Innovation

In this section, Keith emphasizes the need for creative constraints and maintaining flow states to foster innovation. He shares strategies on how leaders can set boundaries that encourage creativity without stifling the team's potential.

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  • 27:20 - Decency Over Niceness in Leadership

Keith talks about the distinction between being decent and being nice as a leader. He argues that transparency and honesty are more valuable than mere niceness, especially when it comes to making tough decisions and fostering a culture of trust.

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Episode resources:

Impact book: https://keithvlucas.com/writing/impact/​

Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kvlucas/​

Other Resources:

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THE PRODUCT THINKING PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY

Product Management training at scale for teams and individuals, created by Melissa Perri.

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Do you have a product dilemma you just can’t solve? Are you in need of some pointed career guidance? We’ve got a direct line to Melissa, so now’s your chance to ask her anything you’d like. You can record a voice message here, or you can submit a question via form below. Melissa just might answer it in a future Dear Melissa segment of the podcast.

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The CPO Accelerator is a members-only live virtual course for product leaders taught by Melissa Perri. The move from product leader to VP or CPO can be challenging. It takes a whole new set of skills to succeed at the next level, and you may be the first person at your company to hold this seat at the executive table.

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Product Thinking is the newsletter of Product Institute, Inc. and Melissa Perri.

Product Thinking Newsletter by Melissa Perri

All things Product Management

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