It’s every Product Manager’s worst nightmare: a third party had discovered a critical security vulnerability in my product and wanted to publish immediately, putting our entire customer base at risk. Here’s how I worked with our Chief Legal Officer and Chief Security Officer to mitigate the threat—successfully and silently.

When customers perceive that you're shipping more bugs than enhancements, retention is at risk. We turned that around by partnering directly with a customer who excelled in IT operations  to validate releases in the field. The result: improved release quality, renewed customer confidence, and a happier engineering team.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I led an initiative to support over 200 major U.S. hospitals. By identifying urgent needs and coordinating expert-driven resources, we quickly rolled out best practices for healthcare scheduling and timekeeping. This positioned my company as a trusted thought leader during a national crisis.

Amid post-acquisition churn and customer loss, I led a company-wide initiative to rebuild trust through structured listening. I didn’t just improve feedback—we embedded holistically into our roadmapping process. Within one quarter, we captured 300+ ideas and achieved 99% customer retention over the following year.

When adoption of vital customer upgrades slowed, I restructured our release process around clarity and consistency. By limiting cadence, adding show-not-tell videos, and inviting feedback, we transformed releases from technical chores into moments of value—earning praise from customers and renewing alignment from internal teams.

“You think you know agile. We do extreme agile around here,” the engineering lead warned me on day one. Releases were unplanned, priorities unclear, and internal teams disconnected. I introduced structure without sacrificing speed—triaging requests, forecasting sprints, and building in flexibility for emergencies. The result? Predictable releases, faster support, and a team finally in sync.

Responsible product leadership means protecting core revenue, managing internal expectations, and keeping customers confident in the product’s future. But even the most solid software can crumble under the weight of outdated infrastructure. I built a communication model that clarified why engineering hours were being spent beneath the surface: on upgrades, security, and performance.