Ritu Bhargava, xPresident & CPO, SAP CX/CRM - Build "OrgIQ", Manage Up and Across
Ritu Bhargava is xPresident and Chief Product Officer of SAP Customer Experience (CX/CRM) & Consumer Industries. Prior to that she was SVP of Software Engineering at Salesforce for Sales Cloud (CRM) and held various engineering leadership roles at Oracle. Ritu is a sought-after advisor, investor and has also served as a Board Member at Qualtrics.
In this conversation, Ritu is disarmingly honest and candid as she narrates stories about her experiences rising up in the organization, balancing getting visibility and being a team player, and learning from people six levels down in the org chart.
Key takeaways:
1. COMMUNICATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
- A boss is also a human with a job, not just a title.
- Surface real issues and what they need to move forward.
- Ask “What would help you?”
2. SAYING NO TO MANAGEMENT
- Earn the right to say No
- Avoid the temptation to please
- Cover No’s in Yes’s
3. BEING A TEAM PLAYER
- Play the long game instead of little wins
- Be selfless, its not about you
- Can you give up the limelight when you could have claimed victory?
4. RISING UP IN THE ORGANIZATION
- Raise your hand and put yourself out there
- If you want to grow, make yourself redundant
- Earn the trust of peers who may report to you
- Hire people smarter than yourself without feeling threatened
- Build “OrgIQ”
5. DEALING WITH STRESS
- Apply five Why’s
- Have a growth mindset
Connect with Ritu Bhargava:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritubhargava/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritubhargava/)
Connect with Rahul Abhyankar, host of Product Leader's Journey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar/)
For previous episodes:
https://www.productleadersjourney.com (https://www.productleadersjourney.com)
https://youtube.com/@ProductLeadersJourney (https://youtube.com/@ProductLeadersJourney)
7 Feb 2025
Michael Margolis, CEO Storied, Author Story 10X - Building Narrative, Influencing at Scale
In this engaging conversation,Michael Margolis, CEO of Storied and Author of Story 10X, shares his unique journey to storytelling expert, emphasizing the importance of narrative in leadership and product management. Michael is a thought provoking storyteller, who has tranied product, data and Go to Market teams at companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, NASA, SAP, Salesforce, Uber .. the list goes on. He is also the author two books, Story 10X Turning the Impossible into the Inevitable and Believe Me, a storytelling manifesto for innovators and change-makers.
In this episode he discusses the distinction between storytelling and narrative, the significance of understanding the language of business, and the role of soft skills in effective leadership. Margolis introduces the SFB Narrative Method as a framework for influencing others and highlights the importance of listening and understanding assumptions in communication. The discussion culminates in the exploration of influence archetypes and the necessity of aligning expectations to foster better relationships in professional settings.
Key Takeaways:
Chocolate fosters connection and community.
Storytelling is about the narrative, not just anecdotes.
Learning the language of business is crucial for success.
Soft skills are essential for leadership progression.
Influencing requires a future-first approach.
Listening is key to understanding and influence.
Crafting narratives is vital for executive buy-in.
The SFB Narrative Method helps structure influence efforts.
Understanding influence archetypes can enhance communication.
Aligning expectations is critical for relationship success.
Connect with Michael Margolis on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmargolis/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmargolis/)
Connect with host Rahul Abhyankar on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar)
16 Jan 2025
Fred Koopmans, Chief Product Officer, Big Panda - From QA engineer to CPO, riding tech waves with a "reverse job description"
Fred Koopmans is Chief Product Officer at BigPanda, an AIOps company. He is someone who has managed to ride the tech waves being at the right place at the right time - mobile video optimization on wireless networks, cloud, data platforms, open source, and now AI. Prior to BigPanda, Fred was SVP of Product Management at Cloudera, and Sr. Director Product Management at Citrix, and in engineering roles at Bytemobile.
In this episode, Fred shares his approach of writing a reverse job description that tells recruiters exactly what he is looking for. Here are some key highlights and the topics we cover:
* What is the flavor of conversations with customers around AI, especially with IT people
* How writing can help one become a high-intention person
* What is a reverse job description and how to write one
* Why it is paramount to have an answer to the question - "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
* How does a PM do an effective job in "engineering-led" or "sales-led" companies
* What do engineers wish product managers know and what do product managers wish engineers know
* How to build deep relationships with customers
* How to steer a product org away from doing only what customers want
* How to have good skip level 1:1s
Connect with Fred on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-koopmans/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-koopmans/)
Connect with Rahul Abhyankar, host of Product Leader's Journey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar)
https://www.productleadersjourney.com (https://www.productleadersjourney.com)
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
7,030
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
46
Social presence
0
YouTube
74
Engagement
32
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