Outcomes Over Outputs Explained by Spotify Product Lead

During the pandemic, listening podcast becomes my morning routine when working from home. In this episode, Spotify Product Lead, Fredrik Lindberg, shares his experience as a product manager. He starts his product management journey from being a project manager. When you become a product manager, you always need to remember “outcomes over outputs”. You should always ask WHY: why we do this? Why this is a right thing to do? And project management is also quite important for a product manager. Time management is very critical especially when you do an enterprise product. There are so many stackholders involved in the launch process. It takes time to get people on board. You have to sell your idea to people and consider more aspects such as legal requirements if you want to build new things.

For the product manager’s career path, when you are going to a more senior position, at Spotify, you can choose to become a people manager or a specialist. As a senior product manager who focuses on people management, you need to have a long-term picture and set long-term target, identify what metrics the team should aim for, choose better people in your team, and make someone to have a maximum impact, Lindberg emphasised.

Lindberg believes the power of outcomes. It can increase creativity, change the direction completely, help people stop getting stuck on the half way. More about this episode, please listen the podcast.