Product Management: Your First 90 Days With Aleks Bass

Introduction and Welcome to Productside Stories

Rina Alexin | 00:00–00:45

Welcome to Productside Stories, the podcast where we reveal the very real and raw lessons learned from product leaders and thinkers all over the world. I’m your host, Rina Alexin, CEO of Productside. Today, I’m joined by **Aleks Bass**, VP of Product Management at **Typeform**. Aleks has a fascinating career working with products that turn qualitative data into quantitative insights, from her time at Qualtrics to Adobe to Momentive (the company behind SurveyMonkey). We’ll discuss product leadership, managing up, and how to make your first 90 days a success. Welcome, Aleks!

Aleks Bass | 00:45–01:22

Thank you so much for having me, Rina. I’m really excited to be here.

Aleks’s Journey from Research to Product Management

Rina Alexin | 01:22–01:35

Let’s start with your journey. What brought you into product management?

Aleks Bass | 01:35–03:15

I started my career in consumer insights and research. I was fascinated by helping businesses answer key questions and make better decisions using data and customer feedback. Over time, I collaborated with product managers, designers, and engineers on meaningful customer experiences — and I fell in love with solving customer problems holistically. That’s what led me into product management.

Lessons in Understanding and Using Data

Aleks Bass | 03:15–05:44

Early on, I realized that understanding how people interact with products requires both quantitative and qualitative insight. I worked on usability projects, like redesigning DirectTV’s online experience, to integrate what customers do digitally with what they experience at home. That collaboration across functions — design, product, and engineering — cemented my passion for product work.

The Importance of Listening and Diagnosing Before Acting

Rina Alexin | 07:10–07:25

You’ve joined several large organizations. How do you set yourself up for success in your first 90 days?

Aleks Bass | 07:25–09:35

The first 90 days are about learning — not changing. When you join a new company, remember: it’s new for you, but not for anyone else. Your team already has established norms, expectations, and precedents. Take time to observe, ask questions, and feel the pain of the organization before trying to fix anything. If you jump in with immediate suggestions, you risk signaling that you’re not listening.

Give yourself a few weeks to diagnose before acting — it will smooth your transition and earn you credibility.

Aligning on Strategy and Organizational Clarity

Aleks Bass | 09:35–13:00

One of the biggest pitfalls for new leaders is misunderstanding how the company defines strategy. Every organization uses that word differently — sometimes it means “what markets we pursue,” other times it’s “what features we build.” You have to uncover how *your* organization defines it.

At Typeform, we held a company-wide event to align on our strategy. It wasn’t changing — it was refining. We clarified our focus on marketers, the jobs they’re trying to do, and the tools we’d build to help them succeed.

The “Destroy the Ring” Strategy Analogy

Aleks Bass | 13:00–15:12

We used a “Lord of the Rings” analogy — everyone’s on the same mission to destroy the ring, but no one told them *how* to do it. Strategy gives you the destination, not the route. Teams have to figure out the journey together. That analogy helped unify our teams on what to commit to and what was still open for exploration.

Creating the “Customer Sync” to Bridge GTM and R&D

Rina Alexin | 18:25–18:45

You mentioned building alignment between go-to-market and R&D. How did that come about?

Aleks Bass | 18:45–23:40

When I joined Typeform, I noticed our teams wanted to be customer-centric but lacked consistent tools for it. So I partnered with our Chief Revenue Officer to create a new monthly meeting called **Customer Sync**.

It bridges gaps between GTM and R&D by centralizing customer feedback from sales, support, and marketing. One month, GTM leads the session, sharing what customers are saying. The next month, R&D responds — sometimes with updates, sometimes with challenges.

The result? Better cross-functional relationships and a shared understanding of customer needs.

The Power of Relationships in Leadership

Aleks Bass | 28:20–31:10

Building trust is essential. People assume misalignment is intentional, but most teams come from a place of positive intent. Establish shared goals, align incentives, and make success mutual. When teams win together, the company wins.

Turning Discovery into Action

Aleks Bass | 34:45–38:05

I treat my onboarding like a discovery phase — talk to everyone across departments, from sales to finance to design. Ask, “What’s blocking you?” and “Who else should I speak to?” These conversations reveal opportunities for improvement and prevent missteps later.

The Customer Sync was born from those insights — it solved a real organizational pain point through structured communication.

Final Reflections and How to Connect with Aleks

Rina Alexin | 42:30–End

Aleks, this was a fantastic conversation. Thank you for sharing your insights on leadership, trust, and product management.

Aleks Bass | End

Thank you, Rina. I love talking about product management and leadership. Anyone can reach me on **LinkedIn** — I’m always open to connecting, especially about product strategy, research, or building great teams.