Phil Hornby: Creating Empowered Product Teams and Smarter Decisions

Phil Hornby on The Priceless Conversations

Phil Hornby is one of the most respected product coaches in Europe. He has worked with over 1,700 product managers and advised more than 100 companies on building stronger product teams and improving decision velocity. He is the author of Creating Empowered Product Teams, a forthcoming book on how to operationalise good decision-making at scale.

Phil has spent years helping teams move past cargo cult frameworks and get to the real work of product management. His practical lens on roadmapping, risk, and product ops has influenced leaders across startups and large organisations alike.

Key Takeaways for Listeners:

• Why most product teams are solving the wrong problems

• The three-part structure of decision-making and how to unblock each stage

• The biggest myth around product operations and how to fix it

• How to make roadmaps that speak to execs, sales, and engineering without diluting the vision

• Why decision speed is a better KPI than team velocity

• The real reason most roadmaps fail, and what to do about it

• Coaching vs command: What most leaders get wrong when growing PMs

• How to align product work with strategy without relying on OKRs

• What product managers should learn from delivery leads

• Why AI is a productivity tool and not a strategy

• What empowered teams need (hint: it’s not autonomy alone)

• How to avoid performative rituals and build true product maturity

• Why his new book isn’t a framework, but a guide to thinking better as a team

You can follow Phil’s work on LinkedIn and sign up for updates on Creating Empowered Product Teams.