Product at Heart 2024 Leadership Forum: Key Learnings and Takeaways
It’s easy to get stuck in the same patterns of thinking when we’re following a regular routine day after day. The idea behind the Product at Heart Leadership Forum is to give product leaders an opportunity to break away from the everyday; to share their successes, challenges, and frustrations with their peers in a safe space; and to gain some fresh perspectives and inspiration to bring back to their work.
And the 2024 event definitely lived up to those promises. From 23 floors above Hamburg, we had the opportunity to admire the city skyline and broaden our perspective—both literally and figuratively.
Whether you were one of the 70 product leaders who joined us at Emporio’s Panoramadeck on September 11, 2024 and want to relive some of the memories—or you’re just curious to see what you missed—we’ll share a few highlights here.
Be ready to jump on opportunities that come your way—literally
The Leadership Forum kicked off with a lively lunch that gave attendees the chance to connect and discuss the challenges they’re facing today. And when co-organizers Petra Wille and Arne Kittler wanted to offer a warm welcome to attendees and were wondering if they could borrow a few chairs to stand on, the restaurant staff invited them to hop up on the counter instead.
It was a perfect metaphor for being ready to go with the flow and literally jump on the right opportunities when they’re presented to you. Plus, it was a reminder that it’s okay to have a little fun from time to time and not to take ourselves too seriously!
Change your mindset from victim to shaper to better adapt to organizational change
It’s no secret that the outlook in the business world is not too rosy at the moment. Layoffs, restructuring, and abrupt changes in direction are everywhere. And as a leader, you’re often expected to guide your teams through these transitions with confidence and ease.
In his interactive workshop, "Why Leaders Need to be Shapers and not Victims in Managing Organizational Change," Sohrab Salimi shared several anecdotes and invited attendees to make the mindset shift from victim (someone with low agency and ability) to shaper (someone with high agency and ability). He suggested making the following changes:
Replace thinking about things being done “to you” with things being done “by you”
Replace thinking of yourself as “powerless” to thinking of yourself as “powerful”
Replace being passive with taking action
Sohrab also reminded us that just because something is hard, that shouldn’t prevent us from doing it. In fact, the choice of not doing something hard will ultimately put us in a much more difficult place than if we’d just done the hard thing in the first place. Quoting one of his former management consultant mentors, Darrell Rigby, he said, “If you think innovation is hard, try stagnation.”
Sohrabs' presentation - Click to enlarge
Don’t assume others understand your expectations—tap into the power of shared agreements
Over lunch, Arne and Petra set the stage for taking an improvisational mindset. In Sohrab’s session, he challenged us not to shy away from hard things. So when Kate Leto took the stage and asked us to write poetry about managing up, attendees were ready to accept the challenge. In the few minutes we were given, one group even wrote a rap using many of the keywords Kate provided!
But the purpose of Kate’s session was much more than an open mic—in her talk, “Managing Up: Finding Balance and Setting Boundaries,” she provided her “Keeping it REAL” framework for managing up:
R - respect the partnership (Managing up is a partnership. Both sides have a stake, so treat it that way)
E - establish expectations early and often (Make sure both you and your partner are on the same page from the get-go.)
A - actively set boundaries (Keep your work sustainable by being clear about what you can and can’t take.)
L - lead with intention (You drive your career. Initiate the conversations that will move things forward.)
Next, Kate defined the difference between expectations and agreements. Expectations are one-sided and often remain assumed or undiscussed. Agreements, on the other hand, clearly state the need, focus on mutual benefit, outline specific actions, and respect boundaries.
With these guidelines in mind, participants had the chance to work in small groups to practice coming up with agreements and getting feedback on what they’d created. Some groups even noted that they’d be applying these lessons in their relationships with their family members—clear communication is just as critical outside the office as inside it!
Make sure you’re taking good care of yourself—and your team
To close out the day, Arne sat down with Rich Mironov to discuss a few trending topics under the umbrella of product leadership, including how the role of product leadership has changed over time, how to deal with burnout, the impact of AI on product teams, and how to avoid getting caught up in corporate busywork.
Rich called out the importance of putting your work in financial terms and learning to make educated guesses on orders of magnitude, estimating whether a particular opportunity is a five-digit opportunity, a seven-digit opportunity, etc. This is the way to get a seat at the table and to ensure your go-to-market peers are willing to listen to and care about what you have to say.
When it comes to managing and avoiding burnout, Rich said it’s important to understand that as a product leader, you’re like a parent at the back of the auditorium who’s cheering for your child on the stage. You’re rarely in the spotlight yourself. So you have to make sure you can find internal satisfaction and joy from coaching folks who build great products rather than expecting much recognition and praise yourself. And it’s essential to be gentle with yourself and your team. “Cut yourself a break,” said Rich. “Take time off, and make sure you give the folks on your team a break as well.”
To close out the conversation, Rich said that taking a moment to thank someone who mentored or guided you in your career is a small thing you can do that will have a positive ripple effect on both you and the person you reach out to.
After the fireside chat, Petra and Arne encouraged us to take a moment to reflect on our learnings and make a note of one key takeaway or action item for ourselves. After all, it’s not just about learning new things, but putting them into practice as well!
We wrapped up with time for a glass of wine with fellow attendees and a book signing with Rich before participants headed to event sponsor airfocus’s office for a pizza party and even more engaging conversations. It was a delicious end to a productive and thought-provoking day.
Check out the attendees’ highlights and stories
We believe some of the most impactful moments at the Leadership Forum are those that happen between attendees, so we love hearing what they have to say about their experience. Here are a few of the highlights and stories they shared.
“I had the chance to listen to one of Kate Leto's talks at the Leadership Forum already. The technique to write your own positive story and not be a puppet beneath the line will be something to guide me the next few months.” – Konstantin Diener
“What an Event Last week, what a Location with Petra Wille, Arne Kittler, Kate Leto and Sohrab Salimi in Hamburg at Product at Heart Leadership Event!
Thanks for all the Input and the many discussions around #productmanagement #leadership and #growth! #productatheart” – Hans-Jörg Roser
“As I am still buzzing on my Product at Heart experience last week, I am latching on to one of the things mentioned/talked about at the leadership forum - Founder Mode.
In an article by Paul Graham he decodes the message from a talk from AirBnB founder Brian Chesky, where he explains how new traditional leadership turned on him and found that he needed to take another approach = the founder mode vs. the manager mode. All to steer the company through a 80% revenue dip when COVID hit.
Even though you are not a founder or in a startup there are some serious reflections in there, relevant for everyone in a product leadership role. Personally I like the distinction between micromanagement and being in the details.
Check out for your self - let me know what you think in comments. Recommend you to both read the article and also listen to the amazing podcast from Lenny Rachitsky with Brian Chesky. Awsome reflections in there.👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/dSPYpcw4.” – Peter Svensson
“I was fortunate enough to take part in both the Leadership Forum and the full-day conference, both of which sold out and were packed with energetic, curious product minds from around the globe.
The dynamic energy throughout the events was truly something special—an experience I rarely find at conferences. Credit goes to Petra Wille and Arne Kittler, who created an environment that brought people together and encouraged us to be bold and fully present in the moment.
There was also a strong connection among the speakers - in content, but also mindset and excitement at being there and together. I had the rare chance to reconnect with old friends and make many new ones.” – Kate Leto
“This week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Hamburg for the Product at Heart Leadership events.
✨ I’ve returned home to Munich filled with inspiration after listening to Sohrab Salimi, Kate Leto, and participating in a Product Leadership workshop by Rich Mironov.” – Rishigesh Murugesh
“While the afternoon workshops were packed with valuable content, my real highlight came during the lunch break. I spent two hours at the table with other leaders, and it fundamentally shifted my perspective on the challenges I face in my new role. Hearing about the hurdles that "Head of Producs" from bigger firms or those with different business focuses encounter was both eye-opening and reassuring.
It’s one thing to discuss frameworks and methodologies in a structured setting, but it’s quite another to have those raw, real conversations over a meal. That’s where true insights happen.” – Ben Kohz
Explore the event in your favorite format
For a more visual experience, check out the video recap of the event or browse through the full photo album on Flickr.
This post just scratches the surface of all the inspiring content from the Product at Heart 2024 Leadership Forum. We’ll also be sharing more detailed recaps from the main conference along with video recordings on our blog and in the video archive in the coming months. Watch this space or follow us on social media for more updates!
And as a final note—if you’re wondering when you’ll have the chance to join us again, we’ve already announced that we’ll be holding a Leadership Forum and workshops in Barcelona from April 10–11, 2025, and the whole event back in Hamburg from June 25–27, 2025. We hope to see you at one—or both! We’ll be updating our blog and social media once the tickets go live.