Melissa Perri

The CPO seat is the loneliest role in product. You've spent years learning how to manage teams, build roadmaps, and ship products. But nothing prepares you for the unique challenges of the Chief Product Officer role: board dynamics, organizational design at scale, and making strategic bets that can make or break the company. Most leadership training doesn't cut it. Generic executive programs don't understand the intersection of product strategy and business outcomes that defines our work. And your peers? They're often competitors now, not collaborators. I built the CPO Accelerator to focus on navigating the messy realities of executive product leadership with people who've been there. The conversations happen at a level you can't get anywhere else: How do you redesign your product org when the company triples in size? How do you present product strategy to a board that doesn't understand why discovery takes time? How do you maintain product vision while managing competing executive priorities? Applications close tomorrow. If you're ready to stop feeling isolated in the CPO seat, this is your chance to be surrounded by peers who actually get it. Are you ready to lead with confidence at the executive table?

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Scaling a business isn’t just about moving fast — it’s about solving the right problem first.   Stanford d.school’s Sarah Stein Greenberg joins Jeff Berman to share how human-centered design can help leaders identify the real challenges worth tackling, and build smarter solutions from there.   Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e7cjy2m4

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One of the most misunderstood frameworks as it relates to the A-player, B-player, etc. framework - here's some ready to re-familiarize yourself https://lnkd.in/gMTT2p3T Only more experience people are A-players, right? Here is a summary - A Players (10-20%): High performers who exceed expectations and solve problems proactively - found at any level, including driven juniors who learn rapidly - B Players (70-80%): Reliable performers meeting expectations, forming organizational backbone - includes experienced staff, some with A-player potential - C Players (10%): Persistent underperformers requiring excessive oversight - not about inexperience but ongoing performance issues despite feedback Key differentiators: A players seek feedback (constantly), take risks, mentor others, and achieve goals resourcefully - traits that transcend seniority Talent implications: Invest in A players, develop B players, address C players decisively - junior A players often outperform senior B/C players. Whats critical to understand is how this relates to hiring - since the frameworks lends itself better to evaluating existing teams Here are some things to think about - A player does NOT mean senior- someone straight out college can be an A player - A track record of past performance and going above and beyond is a good indicator of future behavior and results - Time spent on C players is time poorly spent - over and over again this is the biggest mistake that managers and leaders make. The data tells you that it's not a good use of your time - spend time with the A and B players and get acceleration. Spend time with C players and get lower productivity How do you think about hiring and talent?

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🚦Why do smart, motivated teams resist change? It’s not what you think. I’m excited to share our newest episode of Facing Disruption - Accelerating innovation and growth’s Rockstar Product Teams series, featuring a candid and revealing conversation with business transformation expert Randa Mazzawi, and founder of Mazzawi Consulting. Together, we dug into the real, often invisible barriers that keep organizations stuck-even when everyone claims they want progress. Immediate Takeaways for Leaders and Teams: ➡️ Silos kill initiative: Onboarding employees directly into rigid departmental silos destroys collaboration and ownership. Teams need to see how their work fits into the bigger ecosystem to truly buy in. ➡️ Culture is the secret ingredient: Quick-fix solutions or copying what worked elsewhere won’t help if your company culture discourages open feedback, experimentation, or safe failure. Real change moves only at the speed of trust. ➡️ Hidden resistance isn’t always about fear of change: Sometimes it’s about people not feeling safe to admit what they don’t know. Creating safe spaces for honesty leads to better processes and more resilient teams. ➡️ Top-down directives fall flat without buy-in: Corporate mandates aren’t enough - leaders must over-communicate the "why" behind changes, invite input from every layer, and show genuine willingness to adapt based on front-line insights. ➡️ Change must link to personal and company growth: If employees can’t see how change supports their own development (not just the company’s metrics), resistance will keep cropping up - quietly or loudly. ➡️ Small steps beat grand overhauls: Overhauling everything overnight leads to confusion and pushback. Bite-sized, iterative changes that include feedback loops are not only safer - they're more sustainable and effective. This episode is packed with practical strategies and honest stories that will help you spark change where it actually matters - on your team, in your org, and maybe even for yourself.    🎧Tune in now and join us in building teams that thrive on progress, not just process. Watch on YouTube:  https://lnkd.in/g62gF9JK   #FacingDisruption #RockstarProductTeams #Leadership #Management #innovation #futurism #ai

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I wrote this a dozen years ago(!), and it's *still* one of the pieces I share most often, discussing five dynamics I see regularly in startups: 1. Complex Group Dynamics 2. Communication = Survival 3. Feedback = Learning 4. Relationships Matter 5. Leaders Are Levers https://lnkd.in/ghaAubSa

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Next week on the People Solve Problems podcast: Nelson Repenning and Don Kieffer, founders of ShiftGear Work Design, share their insights on when face-to-face meetings actually add value. Humans excel at processing uncertainty and ambiguity, and this critical capability works best through direct, real-time interaction. As organizations navigate the future of work and the rise of AI, understanding where human collaboration creates irreplaceable value becomes essential. Discover what meetings are truly designed for and how to structure your work processes accordingly. Episode streams next week. #leadershipdevelopment #strategicthinking  #ProblemSolving #Leanleadership #shiftgearworkdesign 

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Constructive dismissal is more expensive than professional development. For every VC, exec and tech bro out there claiming they will fire anyone who isn’t proficient in AI, I ask what are you doing to prepare and upskill your people? Do you have a strategic roadmap for where you’ll embed AI? (Probably not). Do you have this strategy tied to team and individual goals? (Highly unlikely). Are you providing AI training and resources to ensure people can crush their goals? (I’m gonna go with no). The conversations on LinkedIn are 90% gross, and 100% fear inducing. It’s exclusionary. Sexist. And I hope your employees are smart enough to realize if you don’t take the steps above, they can and should lawyer up and make this hugely costly to you. Orrrrrrrr…. You can take the steps above and level up a generation of people. Invest in our country’s innovation and prosperity. And oh by the way … achieve success! #upskilling #professionaldevelopment #aiatwork #leadership

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The credentials PE firms screen for hardest — prior CEO title, elite MBA, consulting pedigree — explain less than 1% of the difference in exit outcomes. New research from Verata, analyzing 12,174 CEO appointments over 18 years, finds résumé traits barely outperform a coin flip. The strongest predictor of CEO success isn't background — it's timing and context. The takeaway isn't that search is broken. It's that the spec is. I partnered with Richard Stein, CEO of HSiQ Talent Intelligence, to analyze the implications of our latest research for the PE and search community. Full report >> https://lnkd.in/ePA9M7_J #privateequity #CEO #leadership #talentintelligence #executivesearch

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Growth adds people, output, and complexity. Scale builds systems, language, and rituals that hold up when management isn’t in the room. Scaling people, processes, and technology is hard but scaling culture might be the hardest of all. Culture by osmosis works at 10 people. At 1,000, it breaks. If you want your culture to survive growth: - Codify it early - Evolve it often - Embed it everywhere decisions get made The question isn’t “How big can we get?” It’s “Will our culture get stronger as we grow?” https://lnkd.in/eEC6wGHJ

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What founders say: “How do I make money now?” What founders should say: “How do I get funding, strategically?” Earlier this week, our Hubble experts Kat Weaver and Mollie Jahner joined forces to walk founders through alternative paths to funding. From opportunities, to founder resources, to pathways, to smart exists. This discussion wasn’t just about securing unique funding strategies, but learning how to navigate the landscape of capital sources, and how they shape your company’s trajectory. Here are some of the main topics we discussed: 1/ Funding is never neutral. Every source carries its own incentives, constraints, and expectations. 2/ Your funding path shapes everything: control, dilution, growth speed, and your exit options. 3/ Most founders default to VC without realizing there are better options out there. 4/ Corporate grants aren't like government grants. You can stack them, stay agile, and keep the lights on. 5/ When done right, grants help build alignment, report discipline, and a compelling impact story, and can evolve into a major long-term partnership. 6/ Think in stages: start with grants, layer in angels, stack another grant, then move toward VC or institutional money. (If this fits your path) 7/ Grants de-risk. Accelerators validate. Fellowships signal credibility. Then investor capital comes in and compounds everything. If you’re seeking an alternative fundraising path right now, remember: - Don’t take rejection personally - Grants are a temporary solution, not a long-term cushion - Revenue will always be your best investor - Every time you pitch, you’re improving Whether you’re just starting your founder journey, wanting to learn more about grants, or ready to start fundraising... you don't have to pick the traditional path. Give one (or more) of these strategies a try for your business. It just might change everything. Want deeper 1:1 advice with these experts? Book them on Hubble: 👉 Kat Weaver: https://lnkd.in/gGeAQZee 👉 Mollie Jahner: https://lnkd.in/g_y4gdPh

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We're living through a massive reset in the tech job market right now and it's not slowing down. Over the last few years, tech companies aggressively cut jobs after the pandemic hiring boom. Independent tracker Layoffs.fyi shows more than 150,000 tech roles were cut in 2024 across ~550 companies. So far in 2025, another 22,000+ layoffs have already happened and the trend is carrying into 2026 with nearly 30,000 job cuts announced by major employers like Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, and others in the first 40 days alone. This is not about a few companies tightening belts. It is a structural shift in how work is valued and organized. Some of the biggest voices in tech have been saying this for years. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman pointed out that the traditional 9-to-5 job will become a relic of the past by the early 2030s as work becomes more project-based, AI accelerates automation, and companies move to flexible staffing models rather than large full-time employee bases. Here’s the reality: • Tech layoffs are happening at scale across industries. • Entry-level and mid-career roles are among the first impacted as automation and AI integrations speed up. • Traditional full-time employment, as many have known it, is changing fast. For anyone sitting on the sidelines waiting for the “next job” to land, this moment is worth rethinking. If the market is shifting from job security to opportunity creation, now is the time to start building instead of waiting. Susy Martins and I are hosting The Start-Up Room, a purpose-built seminar for founders and future founders who know this shift is not a threat but rather, it’s a launching pad. We're bringing together a team of SMEs to teach you how to start your own venture, be your own boss, and find your own freedom. If you've been thinking about turning your experience into a real business, not just a resume, come join us for a full day of support and learning on March 9, 2026 at Highline Beta headquarters. Seats are limited. Tickets to The Start-Up Room are here 👉 https://luma.com/ue76v0ld. Use the early bird discount code "INTHEROOM" until Feb 15th! Your next full-time opportunity might not come from a job opening. It might come from you creating the opportunity yourself.

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