The most effective leadership style for ensuring beautiful and practical products

Connect with Norma Løvhaugen on Linkedin. In this episode, Norma, a veteran in the video conferencing industry with 19 years of experience, shares her journey from starting in Hamburg and Cisco to becoming the Head of Product at Neat. This company blurs the line between the office and remote workers. I am in awe of what goes into seamless videoconferencing experiences. She discusses the magic of creating products that facilitate human connection across distances and the collaborative effort it involves, especially the intricate balance between design, technology, and user experience. Norma emphasizes the importance of design-driven approaches, the complexities behind the simplicity of video conferencing products, and how balancing various considerations like audio quality, compliance, and aesthetics leads to products highly valued by customers. She highlights the role of psychological safety and trust within teams, facilitating effective cross-functional collaboration, and the impact of directly engaging with customers and sales teams to understand better and meet their needs. Norma also touches on her reasons for joining Neat, the excitement of working in a startup environment, and the recent launch of Neat's second-generation video conferencing bar, encapsulating her passion for innovation in the industry. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:05 Norma's Journey in the Video Conferencing Industry 01:02 Inside the World of Video Conferencing Tech 04:53 The Magic of Product Development and Design 10:25 Learning from Mistakes: A Product Launch Story 13:11 Building a Culture of Psychological Safety and Trust 18:00 The Power of Inclusive Product Strategy 23:51 Transitioning from Cisco to NEAT: A New Chapter 26:51 Understanding Business Through Product Leadership 28:18 The Role of Design in Product Success 33:07 Collaboration Across Departments: A Key to Success

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