The Future of Product Teams, Mastering Strategy & Execution, and Building Products That Matter
Scott Weisbrod
Founder, Managing Director at Weisbrod&Co, Human-Centered Strategy and Design
This week's insights are care of Silicon Valley Product Group , Harvard Business Review , and Work & Co . Enjoy!
?? 1. The Future of Product Teams: Smaller, Faster, and Focused on Discovery
?? Relevance for CX Leaders: Generative AI is not just tweaking workflows, it is reshaping product teams. The classic team structure of product managers, designers, and engineers is evolving. AI is reducing the burden of execution, shifting product teams toward discovery-focused roles where human judgment and strategy become even more critical.
?? Key Takeaway: The best teams will lean into AI for execution while doubling down on customer insights, business constraints, and user experience. The shift means smaller teams that move faster and focus more on making the right product decisions rather than just shipping quickly.
?? Actionable Advice:
? Invest in discovery skills: the future product leader must be able to synthesize AI-generated insights with human intuition.
? Rethink team structures: as AI handles more execution, organizations should build teams around strategy, experience, and problem-solving.
? Prepare for a leaner, more agile future: CX leaders should anticipate smaller, more autonomous teams that rely on AI to accelerate development.
?? 2. Bridging the Gap: Why Strategy Without Execution is Useless
?? Relevance for CX Leaders: Many organizations have bold ambitions but fail at execution. Research shows that only 8% of leaders excel at both strategy and execution. The best companies link their vision directly to execution, ensuring that budgets, processes, and employee actions all reinforce strategic goals.
?? Key Takeaway: Success is not just about having a compelling strategy, it's about ensuring every team member understands how their work connects to the big picture. Companies that excel at execution align budgets to strategic priorities, measure progress rigorously, and create a culture where strategy is embedded into daily work.
?? Actionable Advice:
? Tie strategy to specific capabilities: clearly define what your organization must be great at to win, then invest in it.
? Align budgets with priorities: if the budget process is just an incremental percentage shift, it is not a strategy, it is business as usual.
? Make strategy tangible for employees: help teams connect their daily work to the organization’s larger mission to drive executional excellence.
?? 3. Building Products That Actually Matter
?? Relevance for CX Leaders: Too many companies chase trends, overcomplicate products, and prioritize internal politics over user needs. The best products are built with relentless clarity on their purpose. Work & Co’s approach emphasizes obsessive focus on the job the product is meant to do, rapid prototyping, and small, high-caliber teams.
?? Key Takeaway: The best CX leaders understand that great products are not built through lengthy presentations or generic best practices. They emerge from clear purpose, continuous iteration, and keeping teams small and focused.
?? Actionable Advice:
? Prioritize “jobs to be done” thinking: every product or service should solve a distinct, validated customer problem.
? Prototype early and often: instead of endless planning cycles, build tangible versions fast to gather feedback.
? Keep teams small and senior: complex hierarchies slow down progress. The best teams are lean, experienced, and empowered to execute.
?? Key Takeaway for CX Leaders:
The future of great customer experiences will be built by small, high-performing teams that blend human judgment with AI-driven execution. The best organizations will bridge the strategy-execution gap, focus on real customer needs, and embrace rapid iteration over rigid planning.
?? Interested in taking these ideas further? Let’s talk.
The insights in this newsletter aren’t just theories, they’re the foundation of real business impact. Through Weisbrod&Co, I help organizations unlock growth by aligning customer and employee experiences with measurable business outcomes. I partner with leaders to build innovation cultures that drive revenue growth and create lasting strategic value.
If your team is navigating these challenges and looking for a fresh perspective, let’s connect. Whether it’s aligning your CX strategy with business goals, optimizing digital investments, or refining how you communicate value to customers, I can help.
?? Reach out to explore how we can work together.
Senior Product Manager | helping teams define, design, and deliver digital products
2 周Hi Scott - great piece - terse and to the point. I fundamentally agree with you that the importance of discovery in product management is rising rapidly relative to product delivery, although I would argue that "discovery" is a complex mix of business outcomes, user experience, and technical viability rather than simply a pure emphasis on the customer dimension. After all, most of us have to deal with real-world constraints. I also like your call for a relentless focus on "jobs-to-be-done" in a later section. In start-up land, that is everything (as Clayton Christiansen has taught us). I have to say that your articles are fantastic, and I read them every time I come across them in LinkedIn's stream of consciousness. All the very best and best of luck with your ventures, Rob