CPO Rising Series: Monday.com CPTO on Building a Product-Centric Culture of Innovation

How do you create a culture where innovation comes from everywhere? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Monday.com Chief Product and Technology Officer Daniel Lereya will be speaking on building a product-centric culture that empowers teams to drive continuous innovation. Daniel shares insights from Monday’s journey from a 30-person startup to a global public company, revealing how passionate people and a unique approach to product management can transform an organization.

Join us for new conversations with leading product executives every week. Roll through the highlights of this week’s podcast below, then head on over to our Events page to see which product leaders will be joining us next week.

Show Notes:

1. Monday.com grew from a 30-person startup to a global public company by maintaining a product-centric culture.
2. Product management is more than a profession – it’s a way of looking at and solving problems holistically.
3. The company’s “builders” approach blurs traditional lines between product, engineering, and design teams.
4. Speed of execution is a core value, with teams prioritizing rapid learning and iteration.
5. AI is transforming product management by providing deeper insights and accelerating decision-making.
6. Innovation at Monday.com comes from everywhere, not just a centralized innovation team.
7. The company’s unique “Do you want to show me something cool?” KPI measures team innovation potential.
8. Transparency is critical, with the company sharing internal metrics and goals across all levels.
9. Product leaders should be relentlessly focused on creating customer impact.
10. Monday.com initially focused on building a platform that could adapt to multiple use cases.
11. The company’s planning approach is flexible, with teams operating on different cadences based on their specific challenges.
12. Ownership and autonomy are encouraged, with teams empowered to solve problems independently.
13. The organization views product management as a mindset that everyone should adopt, not just a specific role.
14. AI tools like ChatGPT are being integrated to enhance product research and decision-making.
15. The company believes in creating a shared understanding of goals across the entire organization.
16. Monday.com’s growth strategy prioritized building a product that could sell itself before investing in sales.
17. Continuous learning and the ability to quickly adapt to new information are key organizational values.
18. The company focuses on eliminating customer pain points through product design, not just managing support tickets.
19. Leadership’s role is to create an environment where innovation and creativity can naturally flourish.
20. The ultimate goal is to create products that provide clear, transformative value to customers.