ProductTank Washington DC

Join us for an evening of deep product insights and conversation with Steve Johnson, CEO of Product Growth Leaders.

Most product managers aren’t struggling because they lack frameworks, data, or AI
tools. They’re struggling because they’re talking to the wrong people. Instead of learning directly from customers, they rely on second-hand input—sales requests, executive opinions, support tickets, dashboards, and now AI-generated summaries of all of it. The result? Noise. Misalignment. And products that look good on paper but miss the market. AI can process more data than you ever will—but it can’t replace direct human understanding. It can’t see hesitation. It can’t hear what’s not being said. And it certainly can’t build trust with a customer who doesn’t believe you yet. That’s where product managers have an advantage—if they choose to use it.

In this session, you’ll learn how Customer Conversations cut through the noise and
become your most powerful differentiator. Not as a research technique, but as a
leadership behavior that builds market insight, credibility, and better decisions.
Through real stories and practical methods, you’ll learn how to:
• Talk to the right people at the right time in the product lifecycle
• Ask questions that uncover real problems
• Validate ideas before you build them
Because in a world where AI can generate answers at scale, the product manager who understands customers firsthand becomes the one who asks better questions—and makes better decisions.

AGENDA
6:00 - 6:30 pm: Welcome and Registration. Refreshments provided.
6:30 - 7:00 pm: Talk by Steve Johnson (CEO at Product Growth Leaders)
7:00 - 7:15 pm: Q&A
7:15 - 8:00 pm: Networking

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steve Johnson is a product success coach focused on removing the chaos from product planning. He uses modern methods to guide product teams from idea to market in only a few weeks. Steve has trained tens of thousands of product professionals in his career.
He is a former instructor and vice president at Pragmatic Institute and the chief architect of the popular Quartz Open Framework.