Not everyone supports the new strategy. The AI initiative is being sabotaged. The architect is asking for two more quarters. Marketing wants to launch as early as next week. Sound familiar? The problem is that we often expect other people to follow the same logic we do. But in the product business, different “species” work side by side: those who champion people; those who champion experiments; those who champion stability; those who champion results. And until we learn to see these differences, any strategy risks remaining nothing more than a pretty slide. Using examples from product teams and AI transformations, we’ll explore how the framework of competing values works and how to use it for influence, negotiation, and change management. 📌 Key takeaways: Every stakeholder defends a value that is rational for them. “Everyone is right—but only partially.” How to read motives behind words and objections. Why the strongest products know how to switch between languages of influence. How to reduce resistance to change without pressure. How to build support around product decisions.

In her talk, Irina will discuss how your mindset shifts when you move from “improving what already exists” to “creating something from scratch.” She’ll explore which roles are truly critical, where a team can be a strength, and where it can be a hindrance. She’ll also highlight which mistakes in team collaboration are the most costly in the early stages.

If engineers don’t think like product managers, PMs become the bottleneck. In many teams, engineers execute tasks while PMs carry strategy, context, and decisions alone. The result? Slow innovation, low ownership, and “feature factory” delivery. This talk explores we explore how PMs can redesign the system - not just the mindset - to build outcome-driven teams. You’ll learn: • Why feature factories emerge • How PM overload happens • How to push context and decisions down • How to create shared ownership of metrics and impact • Real examples of transforming delivery teams into product teams

- Professional deformation and its consequences. - Market bias and perception — how to find a balance? Let's talk about two important components of any experienced product leader's profile: their expertise, which can become a burden, and the difference in the dynamics of the development of that expertise and the market to which it relates. There will certainly be more questions than answers, but the search for answers will be an interesting adventure for your “homework.”

In a world that has become brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible (BANI), traditional management approaches no longer work—especially in the context of Ukraine. How can leaders adapt to instability, make decisions in times of chaos, and effectively manage teams? In this session, I will uncover the key principles of adaptive leadership that will help stay flexible, think strategically, and act successfully amidst constant change and uncertainty.