In France and the rest of Europe, there are often long leaves of absence. HIring can take a lot of time and notice periods extend to months. Or perhaps you’re hiring your first Chief Product Officer and you’re not sure exactly what profile you need. I can fill the CPO/Head of Product role during these periods and, while doing so, provide all of the expertise and services above to your company and your product team.

A solid product strategy is the foundation for excellence in product execution. It takes some time to get it right, but once the organization has aligned around a product strategy, the team can execute very quickly. Before you run fast you should make sure you’re pointed in the right direction. And that you have the right team and supplies.

I will work with your product leaders & stakeholders (exec team) to help them develop a product strategy. For me, a strategy is not just the destination where you want to end up but also the path to getting there. Of course I don’t build the strategy for you  -- you and your team need to own that. While we work together to build the strategy,  I also train your team about how to do it so that the expertise remains in your organization.

Your product isn’t quite living up to expectations? You’re wondering if you’re missing opportunities? 

I’ll analyze the UX flows along with any data you can provide to pinpoint areas for exploration. This typically consists of an initial review session, one or more sessions to explore/critique product ideas, and a final session to review results and document learnings.

Do you have high potential team members who need to improve to have the company reach the next level? Perhaps a talented individual who is taking their first leadership role? Or a skilled operator who needs to do more to develop his or her team? And many PM leaders struggle with how to communicate and collaborate with other functions.

I can help provide coaching to the individual and perspective to senior management through a series of 1:1 coaching sessions as well as opportunities to observe the individuals working style. This includes advising on product operations…the system of rituals (meetings) and communication that allows product and engineering to run smoothly but not get bogged down in process.

Developing and communicating the product roadmap is one of the most important things that product teams do. Often organizations struggle with providing the right level of detail and predictability in the product roadmap. Both input and communication with key stakeholders and customers is often difficult. 

Are the company priorities being addressed correctly? How frequently should everyone be updated? What happens when something changes? How far out should the roadmap go? Setting the right expectations across the organization is key to success. 

If you have an important presentation coming up, I can help you craft a compelling narrative. For native French speakers presenting to an English-speaking audience I can help refine your slides and your talking points for that audience so that your presentation resonates with your audience while keeping that “French touch.”