Stewart Rogers

👋 Hey product hiring managers! You may have noticed dozens of people now with a new certificate from the Alberta Product Leadership Program. If you manage or are prospectively seeking a new PM to join your team, you should know that: 1) The program is selective. You can't just sign-up. Since it's inception, the program has sought to upskill professionals that have shown their motivation for growth and desire to hone their product management craft. 2) The graduates get broader exposure to practices and industries beyond their resume. Our sessions are interactive and facilitate sharing of perspectives and ways of working across multiple organizations - from grassroots startups to FAANG giants. 3) There's more to it than training. During the course of the program, many participants gain mentorship, build a supportive peer group, and get out of their comfort zone. The program is refreshed every year by hiring managers just like you to optimize for the skills we need to hire and promote for. So if you see the APL certificate with a candidate profile, know that candidate choose to do more than your average course. #abtech #yyctech #yegtech #productmanagement

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🌟 Reflecting on an Inspiring Event: "Enabling a Data-Driven Mindset — Fostering Excellence" 🌟 I had the incredible opportunity to speak alongside industry leaders Qahir Rajwani, and Andrew Ricchetti at this fantastic event. It was truly exciting to engage with colleagues and discuss the importance of data literacy in today's organizations. 🔍 Event Highlights: ·        Assessing and evaluating current workforce skills ·        Creating buy-in to drive data fluency across the enterprise ·        Inspiring a data-driven mindset from the top down ·        The discussions were insightful, and the energy in the room was palpable. Fostering a data-driven culture is essential for overcoming data context and self-serve technology challenges. Here are some key takeaways: 1.     Assessing Workforce Skills: It's crucial to regularly evaluate the current data skills within the workforce to identify gaps and areas for improvement. This helps in tailoring training programs effectively. 2.     Driving Data Fluency: Creating buy-in across the enterprise is essential for driving data fluency. This involves clear communication of the benefits of data literacy and engaging leadership to champion these initiatives. 3.     Inspiring a Data-Driven Culture: Fostering a data-driven mindset from the top down ensures that data literacy becomes an integral part of the organizational culture. Leaders play a pivotal role in setting the tone and encouraging data-driven decision-making. 4.     Overcoming Data Context Challenges: Addressing the challenges related to data context and self-serve technology is vital. This includes providing the right tools and support to enable employees to leverage data effectively. 5.     Establishing Data Academies: Some organizations are setting up data academies to systematically build data skills across the workforce. These academies offer structured learning paths and resources to enhance data literacy. 6.     Integrating Data Literacy into Strategy: Weaving data literacy initiatives into the overall D&A strategy ensures that these efforts are aligned with the organization's goals and objectives, leading to more sustainable and impactful outcomes. The event highlighted the importance of a holistic approach to building a data-driven organization, emphasizing continuous learning, leadership support, and strategic alignment. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such a vibrant and thought-provoking session. Let's continue to drive excellence through data! Grateful for the incredible support from my Kainos family, especially Neil Gabriel and Kyle Thompson. Their encouragement and belief in my potential have propelled me to seize amazing opportunities like this one. Here's to pushing boundaries and reaching new heights together! 🚀💡 #TeamKainos #Gratitude #GrowthMindset #AchieveMore #DataDriven #DataLiteracy #Analytics #Leadership #DataScience #AI #EnterpriseExcellence #Kainos #Evanta #CDAO

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Reposting as I am a lover of great graphic design.

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Learn how a BC Government agency is moving to modern SharePoint. One more competed to help people (especially communicators) thrive!

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🔊 Listen up Toronto Product Professionals 🔊 I'll be speaking at the Product Led Summit organized by Product-Led Alliance in Toronto on November 20 & 21! 🔊 Join me for my session, Collaboration at Large: Applying Product Operations Best Practices Across the Organization 🎯 In today’s fast-paced, product-led environments, effective ProductOps does more than enable product teams—it drives cross-functional alignment that moves the entire organization forward. 🚀 During this session, I’ll discuss: ✅ Defining a ProductOps vision and roadmap that impacts not only product teams but also customer success, professional services, and sales ✅ Establishing leadership alignment to foster a culture of collaboration ✅ Practical metrics to measure success across cross-functional initiatives ✅ Actionable insights to encourage sustained collaboration organization-wide. If you're curious about enhancing cross-functional alignment and collaboration, this session is for you! Join me to explore how to take ProductOps beyond its traditional scope and make it a strategic asset across the organization. 🌟 Looking forward to connecting with you there! Reserve your spot here: https://lnkd.in/g8mr55vF Huge thank you to the organizers Ruth Rose, Sean Foreman and many more for bringing the community together 🇨🇦 🚀 #ProductLedSummit #ProductOps #PLAToronto #ProductManagement #Leadership #OperationalExcellence #LifeatAssent

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Can you believe it's been a whole year since I took the leap and joined the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat | Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada 🇨🇦 Leaving the Canada Revenue Agency - Agence du revenu du Canada felt like a huge gamble as I had already built myself a clear career path there, but the chance to work on game-changing IT projects right at the heart of government was too good to pass up. So I jumped at the opportunity with closed eyes. The past year has been a whirlwind. Ten projects, each with its own unique challenges and rewards, have kept me on my toes. From streamlining internal processes to developing innovative digital solutions, surrounded by folks who are 10x smarter than I am — the work has been incredibly diverse and stimulating & I truly love the challenge. Moreover, I'm so lucky to have supportive colleagues and leaders who not only put up with my "out there" ideas, but actually encourage them! Navigating the ins and outs of government can be tricky, but they've always had my back. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, of course. There are days when the frustration & self-doubt gets too real, and I wonder if I've made the right choice. But then I remember why I'm here: to make a difference, even if it's just a small one. Seven years into my public service career, and that drive is still there. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had, and I'm more determined than ever to keep learning and growing as a leader. So, here's to the future! I have no idea where I'll be a year from now, but I'm excited to find out. #tbs #publicservant #digitalcreator #publicserviceleader #servantleader #leadbyexample #leading #leadership #canada #governmemtofcanada

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I wanted to share something exciting that I've been working on over the past year at Ctruh, and I'm hoping to get some valuable insights and feedback from product managers like you. You know how creating captivating brand experiences can be a real challenge, especially when you're short on time, resources, and coding expertise? Well, my team and I have been dedicating countless hours to developing a product that aims to solve these pain points and revolutionize the way brands create immersive experiences. Imagine being able to create a stunning brand experience, similar to the one showcased in the video, in just 30 minutes, without needing to write a single line of code. That's the goal we've been working towards, and I'm thrilled to say that we're getting closer to making it a reality. Our product is designed to empower brand managers and marketers to bring their visions to life quickly and easily, with features like an intuitive interface, drag-and-drop functionality, and a wide range of professionally designed templates to choose from. As you build your brand experience, you'll be able to see it come to life in real-time, making it simple to make adjustments and tweaks until it's perfect. By using our product, brands will be able to save time, effort, and valuable resources that would otherwise be spent on coding and development. This means more opportunities to focus on engaging audiences and driving results. As we approach the launch of this game-changing product, I'm reaching out to the LinkedIn community, specifically product managers, to gather valuable feedback and insights. Your input will play a crucial role in shaping the final version of our product and ensuring that it meets the needs of brand managers across various industries. If you're interested in being a part of this exciting journey and helping to shape the future of brand experiences, I'd love to hear from you. Simply leave a comment below saying, "I am in," and I'll reach out to schedule a time for us to connect and discuss further. I'm genuinely excited about the potential impact of this product on the branding landscape, and I believe that with your help, we can redefine the way brands create captivating experiences and take customer engagement to new heights. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas! #branding #productfeedback #innovation #userexperience #ctruh

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And it is so easy to do — after a cutoff, new ideas are fine, but they belong in the NEXT release, not the one committed and in dev/QA execution. Why are the folks paid the big bucks always missing the obvious? Well, usually they are paid to. Meaning they have to strive for more (“raise the bar”). HOW they raise the bar is what differentiates the great c-suite genius from the incompetent dingbat.

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Ed’s post resonates deeply with me because I’ve seen this dynamic play out firsthand, multiple times in my career. His insights on the challenges product teams face and the misconceptions surrounding their performance are spot on. I’ve recently had close friends and colleagues impacted by the kind of short-sighted decisions Ed describes—where leadership concludes that replacing the product team is the solution, rather than addressing the underlying environment that’s limiting their success. It’s a painful cycle to witness, especially when the real issue is often a lack of consistent goals, poor communication of context, or unclear risk management from leadership. Ed’s point about minimizing distractions particularly hit home for me. I’ve worked in environments where the number of competing priorities left product teams paralyzed, unable to focus long enough to deliver meaningful results. Conversely, in places where leadership was disciplined about setting clear priorities and shielding the team from noise, the same PMs thrived and delivered incredible outcomes. The idea of involving PMs in understanding the business financials is another standout for me. In one of my roles, a lack of visibility into the financial drivers behind decisions made it nearly impossible for the team to align on priorities or make informed trade-offs. Once leadership started including us in those conversations, we saw a massive shift in productivity and impact. Ultimately, I think Ed’s advice to CEOs to focus on fixing the environment before replacing their PMs is crucial. Creating a space where PMs can focus, understand the “why” behind their work, and feel empowered to take calculated risks doesn’t just drive better results—it creates a stronger, more motivated team. Thanks, Ed, for articulating this so clearly. These are lessons every leader needs to hear.

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I loved working on this roadshow with CGI, and I always look forward to their post-event insights report coming out! Have a read below

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Right now, there is a lot of discussion within the Canadian tech community around what it would take to make Canada a stronger global leader for innovation. The conversations are tainted with emotional baggage, partisanship, and a lack of vision. For those looking for advice (and optimism) here is what I've been sharing privately: Having been part (participant, mentor, board member) of a number of Canadian government funded programs. I really feel like the government has less ability to influence innovation and prosperity than people think. Personally, I am moving to an “ask not what your government can do for you..” mentality. For example, tech leaders are complaining about Canada's employment numbers. But at the same time, almost all of these same leaders are employers who have been aggressively cutting staff, not hiring. We, the Canadian builders, can create the biggest AI cluster if we want to. We can reinvent universities. We can build companies that address our country's biggest challenges including the cost of homes, groceries, .. We can build the next Shopify, Google, Loblaws. We don't need a current or new government leader's permission to do. If we look inwards we can stop blaming and like others have said, step up. A lot of the senior leaders I know have chosen "easy" second or third startups instead of moonshots. It would be scary to go all in and try to build the next SpaceX — it’s likely to fail. Let’s do it anyway. You (and I) don’t need a government grant to be bold. I don't believe successful people who say otherwise -- I think they just lack the ambition they are accusing others of lacking. LET'S SUPPORT EACH OTHER, IGNORE THE GRUMPY PEOPLE, AND BUILD CRAZY THINGS TOGETHER.

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🇨🇦 Usually, I'd source and plot the data, but when it declines over 18 consecutive quarters, I don't think there's much point. This is why I made a pitch in April to the Sr. Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada to look to what made Japan great for ideas on how to turn our productivity around. Alas, to no avail. I guess we'll muddle through with the same-old/same-old hoping for the best but expecting the worst. From the article: "The latest decline has lasted 18 quarters, making it the second longest in the past 40 years. Only the decline of 1989 to 1994, which lasted 21 quarters, was longer... Not only does Canada lag most developed economies, Canadian provinces also fall far behind almost all U.S. states... Ontario last year had a per-person level of economic output similar to Alabama, said Tombe. The Maritimes were below Mississippi, and Quebec and Manitoba lag West Virginia. Canada’s strongest economy, Alberta beat the U.S. average, but ranked 14th overall." https://lnkd.in/dsc67Uyx #systemsthinking #leadership #deming #productivity #gdp

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Understanding RFP pitfalls This is a video summary part two of my talk at the #IEEE Vancouver Consultants Network Community in October. This summary covers the four things to watch out for when conducting and evaluating an RFP. 🚫 Missed requirements 🗣️ Inconsistent or dominating evaluators 🪢 Joint bids 🗒️ Identifying expertise in the contract #IEEEvancouver #consultant #vendormanagement #projectmanagement #RFP

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Emmanuel Grenier of #carrefour taking a different view on a phased rollout at #techforretail: phase 1 is about developing and testing and take time to do it properly; phase 2 is then about creating value. Value creation cannot happen without a dev / test mindset. #composablecommerce #grocerycommerce

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Traditional requirements gathering is dead. To truly understand customers in our fast-paced world, many product teams have adopted design thinking. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 fosters innovation by focusing on understanding user needs, encouraging creative problem-solving, and rapidly prototyping solutions that are both user-centric and practical. 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀 is a design thinking technique popular for Product Discovery initiatives. It helps product developers to develop empathy for customers and understand their problems on a deeper level. #UserPersonas #DesignThinking #ProductDisocvery #ModernProductivity  --------- My name is Steven Granese, and I post daily on Modern Productivity topics like Agile, OKRs, and Product Discovery. 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀? Add a comment to this post!

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📣 For any C100 members who missed my email and for all who care about creating a lasting impact in Canadian tech -- here’s a portion of my New Year’s member message: Reflecting on my first year as Executive Director of C100, I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made together. Looking Back: Our new C100 Growth Program incorporates the best elements of the Lazaridis Scale-Up experience to support CEOs/executives/founders in scaling their companies beyond $100M USD in revenue. Our inaugural cohort includes 12 remarkable companies – four are alumni of our Fellows program—proof of the learning and development value we’re creating for Canadian entrepreneurs. We added the C100 Leaders’ Circle to our programming, bringing together 13 exceptional leaders from 10 award-winning $100M to $1B USD revenue companies, half of which are C100 program alumni. We invested more into our early-stage C100 Fellows Program, adding Mastermind classes in funding and storytelling, developing matched mentoring for each founder, and adding a second deeper dive 48Hrs in January. In its 15th year, 48Hrs and Fellows remain a cornerstone of C100’s brand, ethos and mission. Looking Ahead: The talent, ambition, and innovation underway across all of the companies in our 2024 programming cohorts give me incredible confidence and pride in the future of and for Canadian entrepreneurs and Canadian tech. The success of these programs is rooted in over a decade of C100's strategic investments in programming and fostering member connections. This past year, 18 of Deloitte’s Fast 50 companies—including four of the top five—and 30 of the Fast 500 are C100 program alumni. It’s clear: companies supported by C100 are deeply part of the foundation of Canada’s tech ecosystem. Our 2025 priorities are to ensure that every ambitious Canadian entrepreneur — whether a founder or CEO building a tech company in Canada — fully recognizes the unique and transformative value of engaging C100. 1️⃣ We want to inspire these entrepreneurs to seek opportunities to participate in our programs and events or to benefit from the mentorship and coaching offered by C100’s exceptional network of members and industry experts. 2️⃣ We will strengthen member engagement by creating opportunities for stronger interaction between our members, our program cohort founders and executives, and the top US and Canadian investors. 3️⃣ Our members will have lots of opportunities to connect with our program companies (they love it), mentor our cohort company leaders (if you are interested, please let me know), share your thoughts and ideas on improving our programs and our membership, attend the Town Halls for updates and feedback, and engage in the new member database/portal. There has been a lot of change this past year at C100 but we're stronger for it; thanks to our members for their support and involvement. Together, we’re making a difference. Onwards! 🚀 #cdntech #entrepreneur

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