Does getting promoted literally rewire your brain to lose empathy?

The science says YES. 🧠

In this research-backed episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel examine the unsettling neuroscience behind why your favorite coworker turned into a corporate tyrant after their last promotion.

Drawing from peer-reviewed studies in the Journal of Experimental Psychology and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, watch or listen as we explore three mechanisms that erode empathy in leadership positions (and talk through how to evade entropy).

🔬 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
• How power physically changes your brain chemistry and reduces your ability to read emotions
• Why narcissistic individuals rise faster through corporate ranks (and how to spot them)
• How socioeconomic class divides create empathy blind spots in leaders
• Practical guardrails to maintain your integrity as you advance

Whether you're a product manager, agile coach, or aspiring leader, this episode will help you recognize the warning signs of empathy erosion in yourself and others... before it's too late!

Have you watched someone change after a promotion? Let us know!

RESEARCH:
• "Power Changes How the Brain Responds to Others" (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2014)
• "Social Class, Contextualism, and Empathic Accuracy" (2010)
• Prosocial orientation and power amplification studies (JPSP, 2011)

#Leadership #CorporateCulture #WorkplacePsychology

Journal of Experimental Psychology (2014) - Power Changes How the Brain Responds to Others, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2011) - Prosocial Orientation and Power Study, Social Class Contextualism and Empathic Accuracy (2010), Hittner & Haase (2021) - Empathic Accuracy and SES Study, Management 3.0 - 360 Reviews, Good to Great by Jim Collins (implied - wrong people wrong seats metaphor), Die Hard (film reference), Elon Musk Twitter/X takeover, Sheryl Sandberg (referenced), Glassdoor

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Is 'Move Fast & Break Things' just permission to be reckless?

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel as they examine Mark Zuckerberg's (in)famous mantra and reveal how it may have metastasized from breaking code to breaking laws, teams, and even contributing to real human harm.

Watch or listen as we explore the critical dimensions of this philosophy, including:

1. BREAKING SOFTWARE: How the original meaning of 'break things' (emphasizing first-mover advantage) evolved from rapid iteration of code to justifying regulatory evasion and monopolistic behavior.
2. BREAKING TEAMS: Using Harvard research that shows 'always-on' cultures decrease productivity by 20% and spike turnover to discuss how intensity without recovery is just exploitation (and what to do instead).
3. BREAKING PEOPLE: Discussing the human costs of unchecked speed, from Facebook's alleged role in the Myanmar genocide to Uber's systemic harassment culture to Theranos's fraud.
4. LEARNING OVER SPEED: We discuss Eric Ries's seminal work: The Lean Startup and how it went out of it's way to emphasize learning velocity over shipping velocity. WRONG (we guess)!
5. PUSHING BACK (WITHOUT GETTING FIRED): We brainstorm for frameworks to use for challenging speed-obsessed leadership, including trade-off and discuss real-world experiences.

Whether you're running a business, a product manager, or a team member just trying to keep up, this episode arms you with arguments and frameworks to advocate for ethical innovation.

What's your take on 'move fast' culture? Have you seen it more of a positive or negative?

#ProductManagement #TechEthics #AgileLeadership

REFERENCES
Move Fast and Break Things by Jonathan Taplin (2017), Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power Greed and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn Williams, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries (2011), The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson (2018), Susan Fowler's blog 'Reflecting on One Very Very Strange Year at Uber' (February 2017), UN Human Rights Council 2018 report on Facebook and Myanmar, Harvard Business School research on always-on cultures (2009), Agile Podcast E22 - Interview with a Scrum Trainer: Fred Mastropasqua (August 2021), Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, The Social Network (film, 2010)

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Stop wasting time building the wrong thing faster!

In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager: Brian Orlando and Business Agility Coach to THE STARS: Om Patel respond to yet another listener question, discussing Product Risk Analysis in agile environments!

Listen or watch as they challenge the common misconception that analyzing risks upfront is "waterfall" and reveal why ignoring product risks until you've burned three sprints is how teams end up building features nobody wants.

Stick around while the hosts break down Marty Cagan's four critical product risks (Valuable, Usable, Feasible, and Business-Viable) but stick around for the conversation on why most teams focus on execution risks while the real product killers are hiding in plain sight!

The topics covered are:
- Difference between product risks and execution risks
- Why traditional risk registers are theater
- "Speed-to-death" prioritization for testing assumptions
- Handling team skill gaps as feasibility risks
- Aligning stakeholders who fixate on the wrong risks
- Why business viability (pricing, unit economics) is the most ignored yet most dangerous risk

This episode is great for product managers, agile coaches, and team members who want to stop building things people don't want.

#ProductManagement #Agile #RiskAnalysis

REFERENCES

"Marty Cagan - Inspired", "Melissa Perri - Escaping the Build Trap", "Teresa Torres - Continuous Discovery Habits", "David Marquet - Turn the Ship Around", "Product School blog", "Eric Reis - The Lean Startup"

LINKS
YouTube

Website

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Is your solution architect a gatekeeper or an enabler?

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel as they draw from their experiences to debate the reasons these roles - which should be natural partners - often find themselves at odds. It's a no-holds-barred look into the eternal conflict between product managers and solution architects!

Watch or listen as we explore:
1. Why the role exists and if it's even necessary
2. Who owns technical decisions
3. How PMs may be part of the problem
4. Three conversations that never happen
5. Identifying architects: shepherds vs. hoarders
6. When and how to escalate (without destroying your career)

They provide actionable takeaways including the "documentation test," the "decision autonomy test," and the "vacation test" to evaluate whether your architect is enabling or blocking your teams.

Whether you're a product manager frustrated by architectural gatekeeping, a solution architect trying to add value without becoming a bottleneck, or a leader trying to resolve these conflicts, this episode offers you solid, practical takeaways that you can start trying today!

#ProductManagement #SolutionArchitect #Leadership

Team Topologies by Manuel Pais and Matthew Skelton, Empowered by Marty Cagan (2020), Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (2002), Radical Candor by Kim Scott, Release It! by Michael Nygard (2017), The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, Arguing Agile Episode 67: Team Topologies, Arguing Agile Episode 235: Changing Your Message - Adaptive vs Manipulative Communication, Arguing Agile Episode 236: Why Product Managers Should Own Pricing

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Lost a $2M deal and nobody discussed why? You're not alone!

Your company is running on hope, not learning.

Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel are discussing the potentially career-limiting topic of asking "why does the organization systematically avoid learning from failures?"

Thanks! We'll be sure to shut the door on our way out... but before we do, we'll explore why sales and product teams never debrief lost deals together, why customer churn meetings feel like career suicide, and why executives are never held accountable for their predictions..

...as well as:
• Why cross-functional lost deal retrospectives rarely happen (and how to run your first one)
• The cost of ignoring customer churn and how to conduct no-blame churn reviews
• Building prediction accountability systems to track strategic bets against reality
• How organizational silos kill learning and prevent teams from improving
• Why "move fast and break things" culture prevents meaningful learning
• Creating learning backlogs and embedding continuous improvement in fast-moving organizations

Today is all about actionable tips, specific questions to ask in retrospectives, and strategies for navigating the political landmines of organizational learning. Today, we're giving you tools to transform how your organization learns from mistakes!

Referenced Episodes:
• AA235 - Changing the Message
• AA199 - W. Edwards Deming: Profound Knowledge for Transforming Organizations
• AA67 - Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow

#ProductManagement #AgileCoaching #CustomerChurn

Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais, W. Edwards Deming's work on systems thinking and organizational learning, Amazon's six-pager concept, Arguing Agile Episode 235 (Changing the Message), Arguing Agile Episode 199 (W. Edwards Deming), Arguing Agile Episode 67 (Team Topologies), Silicon Valley move fast and break things culture, 996 work culture

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Discover how the world's most profitable companies actually make money, from Tesla to Amazon to ChatGPT.

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel as they continue to explore the 23 business models from Adrian Slywotzky's "The Art of Profitability." Part 2 continues the examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining 11 business models where the hosts discuss why some companies dominate their industries while others struggle.

Business models covered are:

• Specialty Product model (CrowdStrike, Beyond Meat)
• Local Leadership (Publix, Dutch Bros)
• Transaction Scale (Visa, Stripe)
• Value Chain Position (Amazon, TSMC)
• Cycle timing (private equity firms)
• After-Sale profits (Apple Care, John Deere)
• New Product innovation (Tesla, OpenAI)
• Relative Market Share (Walmart, Google)
• Experience Curve (Southwest Airlines, TSMC)
• Low-Cost Design (Dropbox, IKEA)
• Scarcity tactics (Ferrari, Nike limited editions)

Whether you're a product manager, startup founder, or business strategist, this episode provides actionable insights on choosing and executing the right business model for your market.

#ProductManagement #BusinessModels #Strategy

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

12 proven business models that separate successful products from failures!

Product Manager Brian Orlando & Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel examine 12 real-world business models with real examples of the companies that employ them!

Based on "The Art of Profitability" by Adrian Slywotzky (2002), this part-1-of-2 podcast covers:
• Customer Solution Model (Palantir, SAP, Salesforce)
• Product Pyramid (Apple, Tesla, GM)
• Multi-Component Pricing (Uber, Coca-Cola)
• Switchboard Platforms (Uber, Airbnb, eBay)
• Time & Materials (Consulting firms)
• Blockbuster Model (Pharma, Netflix)
• Profit Multiplier (Microsoft, Disney)
• Entrepreneurial Model
• Specialist Model (Mayo Clinic, Agile Coaches)
• Installed Base (Printers, Razors, K-Cups)
• De Facto Standard (Windows, Adobe PDF)
• Brand Model (Apple, Nike, BMW)

Perfect for product managers, agile coaches, startup founders, and business leaders trying to understand which revenue model fits their product strategy. 💬 Which business model does your company use? Let us know in the comments!

🎯 ...and look out for part 2 - coming soon!

#ProductManagement #BusinessModels #AgileCoaching

The Art of Profitability by Adrian Slywotzky (2002), The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim/Kevin Behr/George Spafford (2013), Palantir, Salesforce, SAP, IBM, Deloitte, PWC, Apple iPhone SE, Tesla Model 3/S/X, General Motors (Chevrolet/Cadillac), Uber, Coca-Cola, Airbnb, eBay, Stripe, PayPal, Amazon, McKinsey, Netflix (Stranger Things, House of Cards, Daredevil, Narcos, Black Mirror), Microsoft Windows, Disney, Google Android, Yeti, Claude AI, Gemini AI, OpenAI, Gillette, HP, Lexmark, Keurig K-Cups, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Adobe PDF, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation, Kleenex, BMW, Mercedes, Nike, Adidas, Agile Alliance, PMI, Grab (Asia ride-sharing), Moffitt Cancer Center, Anderson Clinic, Gulf and Western

business models, product management, agile coaching, revenue models, product strategy, startup business models, SaaS business models, subscription business model, platform business model, customer solution model, product pyramid, profit multiplier, entrepreneurial business model, business model canvas, product manager training, agile product development, business strategy, monetization strategy, pricing strategy, Adrian Slywotzky, art of profitability, arguing agile podcast, product leadership, business model innovation, recurring revenue, marketplace business model, consulting business model, brand strategy, competitive advantage

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Debating why pricing belongs in product management's hands, not sales or finance.

Product Manager Brian and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om are rankling egos as they discuss a heated debates: who should own pricing decisions? Listen or watch as they argue that pricing is product strategy, not a sales tactic.

🎯 Topics Covered:
• The financial literacy gap in product management
• How to diagnose pricing authority in your organization
• Why executives resist giving PMs pricing control
• Collaborative pricing models that actually work
• When and how to change prices

Think your organization handles pricing differently? Let us know!!!

#ProductManagement #PricingStrategy #ProductLeadership

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: http://arguingagile.com

INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)