Lisa Hagen

Speaking

Let’s talk about the hard parts of product leadership.

Good product leadership rarely happens under ideal conditions.

Strategies are imperfect. Priorities compete. Teams disagree. Decisions get delayed. And the people responsible for delivering results don’t always have the authority or resources they need.

Those are the situations I like talking about.

I bring more than 25 years of experience building products, leading teams, and working through the realities of organizational life to talks, panels, workshops, and conversations with product and technology leaders.

My goal isn’t to give people another framework to memorize. It’s to challenge some assumptions, share what I’ve learned, and leave people with ideas they can actually use.

Topics I speak about

Talk 01

Make Good on a Bad Strategy

What do you do when the strategy you’re given isn’t good enough?

Not every team has the benefit of a clear, coherent business strategy. Sometimes the direction is vague, priorities conflict, or the strategy changes before anyone has made meaningful progress.

This talk explores how product leaders can identify what really matters, build relationships across the organization, and create direction for their teams even when the broader strategy falls short.

Developed and presented with Ira Cummings at UXPA Boston.

Talk 02

More Process Won’t Fix a Decision Problem

Why do organizations keep changing how teams work without changing how decisions get made?

New frameworks, reorganizations, governance structures, and operating models can all be useful. But they don’t automatically resolve disagreements about priorities, accountability, or who gets to make which decisions.

This session explores why product transformations often struggle and what leaders need to address beyond the process.

Talk 03

Product, Design, and Engineering: Who’s Actually Making the Decisions?

Great products require collaboration, not just well-defined roles.

Product, design, and engineering bring different expertise to the table. But when those disciplines become protective of their responsibilities, teams can spend more time negotiating ownership than solving customer problems.

This talk examines what genuine collaboration looks like, how teams can work through competing perspectives, and why shared responsibility matters more than rigid role boundaries.

Talk 04

The Hard Part Isn’t Writing the Strategy

A strategy only matters if it changes what people do.

Organizations spend considerable time developing strategies, setting priorities, and communicating goals. Yet the connection between those ambitions and everyday product decisions is often surprisingly weak.

This session explores the decisions, tradeoffs, leadership behaviors, and organizational conditions that turn a strategy into action.

Talks, panels, and workshops

I’ve spoken at product and UX events, participated in industry conversations, and spent years teaching and facilitating discussions with professionals at different stages of their careers.

I enjoy formats that create room for real conversation, whether that’s a conference talk, a smaller leadership discussion, a panel, or a hands-on workshop.

Featured talk

Presented with Ira Cummings at UXPA Boston.

Lisa speaking at a podium beside a projected slide while Ira stands nearby at UXPA Boston.
Sharing the stage with Ira Cummings at UXPA Boston.
Lisa and Ira standing together in front of the Make Good on a Bad Strategy presentation slide.
After the talk with Ira Cummings.

Let’s have a conversation.

I’m available for conference talks, panels, workshops, podcasts, and facilitated leadership discussions.

If you’re planning an event and think my perspective would be useful, I’d be happy to talk about what would resonate with your audience.

Get in touch about speaking

Speaking inquiry

Tell me about your event.

A few details help me reply quickly with availability and ideas for the session. I usually respond within a few business days.