Productside Stories

Building Trust as a New Product Team Leader with Brooke Huling

Featured Guest:

Brooke Huling | Senior VP at Accruent
23/04/2024

Summary

In this engaging episode, Rina Alexin interviews Brooke Huling, Senior VP at Accruent, to explore what it takes to thrive as a new product team leader. Brooke shares her journey from accounting to product management, her lessons from over two decades of leadership, and her approach to building trust and alignment during the critical first 90 days in a new role.

She reveals how product leadership requires shifting from “doing” to “enabling” — seeing the big picture, fostering relationships, and focusing on strategy and communication. Brooke and Rina also discuss how to handle challenges such as unrealistic expectations, broken processes, and strained cross-functional relationships, emphasizing patience, empathy, and consistent follow-through.

This episode offers a roadmap for anyone transitioning into product leadership — from understanding organizational dynamics to leading with authenticity and accountability.

Takeaways

  • Product leadership requires strategic thinking, not tactical execution.

  • Your first 90 days should be focused on listening, learning, and building trust.

  • Relationships — especially with engineering and marketing — are mission critical.

  • Avoid rushing to “fix”; instead, observe and understand before acting.

  • Delivering consistently builds credibility and resets organizational trust.

  • Prioritize people and processes before jumping to product changes.

  • Create a visual priority matrix to align teams and manage expectations.

  • Building relationships virtually takes longer — plan for it.

  • Leadership growth requires proactive self-investment and 360 feedback.

  • The best leaders empower their teams to thrive even in their absence.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to Productside Stories
00:45 Brooke’s Journey from Accounting to Product Leadership
02:30 Lessons from 20 Years in Product Management
03:32 What Makes a Great Product Leader
07:38 Essential Skills for Mid-Career PMs Transitioning to Leadership
10:45 Choosing the Right Company Fit for Your Career Growth
12:42 Planning Before Day One — The 90-Day Framework
14:28 Listening First: Avoiding the “Advice Monster” Trap
16:05 Prioritization Frameworks and Establishing Early Wins
17:50 Identifying Broken Processes and Root Causes
19:23 Building Trust with the Leadership Team
21:21 Building Relationships with Engineering, Marketing, and Support
24:40 Rebuilding Trust in Organizations with Broken Product Cultures
27:00 Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned as a New Leader
29:44 Investing in Leadership Growth and Self-Development
31:52 How to Connect with Brooke Huling

Keywords

product leadership, Rina Alexin, Brooke Huling, Accruent, Productside Stories, leadership development, trust building, product strategy, team alignment, first 90 days, stakeholder management, communication, prioritization frameworks, product operations, empathy in leadership, organizational change, product team management

Introduction and Welcome to Productside Stories

Rina Alexin | 00:00-00:59

Okay, we are recording. Hi, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Productside Stories. My name is Rina Alexin. I’m the CEO of Productside and your host today. Today, we’ll be talking with Brooke Huling, Senior Vice President at Accruent, about product leadership — specifically, what new product leaders should focus on in their first 90 days. Brooke is an expert on this topic, having led at Dell, Aceable, and Accruent. Brooke, thank you so much for joining us today. How did you get into product management to begin with?

Brooke Huling | 00:59-02:58

Thanks, Rina. I’m so happy to be here and nice to meet everyone virtually or otherwise. I have nothing but good things to say about product management — twenty years of blessings and really falling into a career I was not expecting. I came out of college as an accountant and thought that would be my job for 40 years until retirement — until I realized I was bored and needed to rethink my path. I was lucky to take a customer-engineering role in a support organization for an accounting software company, fixing accounting databases. From there a leader recognized some other skills in me and tapped me for a product-manager role. I started almost twenty years ago as an associate product manager and worked my way up. Then you somehow fall into management — planned or not — and it takes off from there. That leader became my mentor, and having a mentor-boss is magical. Eventually my joy pivoted from writing requirements and launching products to leading and growing other PMs. That’s how I ended up in product leadership — rewarding, challenging, and yes, a few gray hairs but I wouldn’t trade it.

Brooke’s Journey from Accounting to Product Leadership

Rina Alexin | 02:58-03:32

I love that story, Brooke. Very rarely do I hear someone who started as an accountant and became a product manager. Not everyone ends up on your path — from IC to leader. Thinking about your own career, what makes a good product leader?

Lessons from 20 Years in Product Management

Brooke Huling | 03:32-06:48

I reflect on that a lot because the answer changes. It depends on culture, markets, and core leadership principles. Every day it’s seeing the forest for the trees, building strong relationships, surrounding yourself with amazing people, recognizing you’re not the smartest in the room (and you’re not supposed to be). I spend time finding new leadership tools and tactics — that’s part of staying sharp as the world evolves.

What Makes a Great Product Leader

Rina Alexin | 06:52-07:38

Okay, so we just covered what makes for a great product leader. You mentioned skills, so let’s start there. What core skills should a mid-career PM develop to move into leadership?

Brooke Huling | 07:38-09:36

When you become a product leader you’re at the trifecta of many skills. You’re no longer writing stories — you’re thinking strategically and long-term. I think in chess, not checkers terms — placing bets, prioritizing investments. You need process empathy and to know what’s broken vs. good enough. And relationships — those are critical at every level.

Essential Skills for Mid-Career PMs Transitioning to Leadership

Rina Alexin | 09:50-10:45

Unless you’re promoted internally, you’re often joining a new company and spending your first 90 days learning its processes. How do you choose the right company fit when switching?

Brooke Huling | 10:45-12:06

We must own our careers. I wanted to see different markets and styles. At big companies with big processes, your job is to understand it before changing it. First understand what, why, and who — then transform. Change management comes later; understanding comes first.

Choosing the Right Company Fit for Your Career Growth

Rina Alexin | 12:06-12:42

When joining a new company, understanding how things are done helps you prioritize quick wins. Speaking from experience, what do you prioritize on day one?

Brooke Huling | 12:42-14:28

There’s a “day zero.” I always have a 90-day plan before arriving. Plans change, but having one matters. Day one is about learning “who’s who in the zoo.” Someone will hand you a list of problems to solve — listen, don’t fix yet. Your job is to absorb and build relationships — not be the “advice monster.”

Planning Before Day One — The 90-Day Framework

Rina Alexin | 14:28-15:48

How do you handle wish lists and expectations when you’re still in listening mode?

Brooke Huling | 14:58-16:05

Accruent uses an “immersion” process that gives me a hall pass to say I’m listening, not fixing yet. People appreciate that you heard them and are capturing feedback. Most just want to be heard.

Listening First: Avoiding the “Advice Monster” Trap

Rina Alexin | 15:48-16:05

After your first month of listening, how do you prioritize the next 60 days?

Brooke Huling | 16:05-17:50

I use a priority matrix — urgency, priority, significance. Align with leaders on what to fix first and communicate the plan. Focus on foundations and delivering on commitments before big initiatives.

Prioritization Frameworks and Establishing Early Wins

Rina Alexin | 17:29-17:50

How do you identify what’s broken in a new organization?

Brooke Huling | 17:50-19:23

It depends on the setup — Agile, Scrum, etc. I start by reviewing the full product lifecycle, doing demos, support and sales ride-alongs, and studying financials. Your leadership team helps pinpoint where to start.

Identifying Broken Processes and Root Causes

Rina Alexin | 19:01-19:23

Let’s talk about leadership-team relationships. How do you build trust with other executives?

Brooke Huling | 19:23-21:21

Start with trust. I use *The Five Dysfunctions of a Team* framework — conversations, listening, understanding what keeps them up at night. Building relationships virtually takes longer, so ask more questions and practice active listening.

Building Trust with the Leadership Team

Rina Alexin | 21:11-21:42

Yes, we use that book too — and personal histories help teams bond. What other relationships do you prioritize?

Brooke Huling | 21:42-23:57

First, engineering — your partner in crime. You must trust each other because conflict ripples down. Next, marketing — they turn product into customer impact. Then sales and support — they face customers daily. Strong relationships enable everything.

Building Relationships with Engineering, Marketing, and Support

Rina Alexin | 23:57-24:40

What about when trust in product is already broken? Any advice for rebuilding it?

Brooke Huling | 24:40-27:00

Rarely do you inherit a perfect situation. You often inherit the brand of your predecessor. The fastest way to change perception is to deliver — on your word and commitments. Communicate openly, over-communicate in early days, and people will start to trust again.

Rebuilding Trust in Organizations with Broken Product Cultures

Rina Alexin | 26:30-27:00

You’ve done this many times. What mistakes have taught you the most?

Brooke Huling | 27:00-29:44

I make mistakes hourly. Early on, I thought management meant telling people what to do. Wrong. It’s about guiding, coaching, and letting them fail safely. No one hands you a leadership manual. You learn after a tough 360 review, get a coach, and grow from it.

Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned as a New Leader

Rina Alexin | 29:07-29:44

What advice would you give your younger self —or someone moving into leadership today?

Brooke Huling | 29:44-31:34

Invest in yourself early. Don’t wait for the company to train you. Ask for 360 feedback or pay for it yourself. Had I done that sooner, I’d have been a better leader for many people. The bruises made me stronger but I would’ve fast-tracked that learning if I could.

Investing in Leadership Growth and Self-Development

Rina Alexin | 30:53-31:52

When I ask for feedback, I remind people to share the hard truths — that’s how I grow. Sometimes external facilitators help people open up. How can listeners connect with you?

Brooke Huling | 31:34-31:52

Find me on LinkedIn — I check messages weekly and would love to connect virtually or otherwise.

Rina Alexin | 31:52-End

Thank you, Brooke. And thank you everyone for joining us for another episode of Productside Stories — where we share real, raw lessons from product leaders around the world.