Ronkepm's Top Articles of 2025

As we wrap up 2025, I wanted to take a moment to look back on the stories that resonated most: the ideas, reflections, and conversations that captured our collective energy this year. These are the posts that sparked meaningful thinking, forged deeper connections, and helped shape the way we approach product, leadership, and purpose. Whether you’re a seasoned product leader or just beginning your journey, I hope these words remain a source of encouragement and insight.

Product Leadership is Still a Choice, Even When It’s Hard

There is a point in every product leader’s journey where momentum alone is no longer enough and you have to choose, with intention, what kind of leader you want to be. This piece explores how leadership becomes clearest not in the smooth seasons but in the moments that require patience, humility, and the willingness to keep showing up when the path gets uncomfortable. It’s a reminder that leadership is not granted by title but practiced through the decisions we make every day, especially when the stakes feel personal.

The Lessons of Sponsoring Young Women Product Managers

This article reflects on what it truly means to sponsor emerging talent, especially young women who are navigating environments that were not always built for them. It speaks to the quiet responsibility of opening doors, amplifying voices, and trusting potential before the world has learned to recognize it. Through small stories and honest observations, it shows how sponsorship becomes a form of stewardship, shaping not just careers but confidence in ways that last long beyond the first opportunity offered.

Embracing Diversity Is Product Management

Here the conversation turns toward diversity not as a corporate slogan but as a fundamental discipline of product thinking. It invites readers to see how diverse teams challenge assumptions, widen the aperture of what is possible, and uncover needs that would otherwise be invisible. The piece also urges leaders to build environments where difference is not merely tolerated but actively sought, because better products are born when more people can see themselves in the process of creating them.

The Quiet Strength of Servant Leadership

This article speaks to the softer, often overlooked core of leadership where influence grows from service rather than authority. It reflects on how the most impactful leaders listen before they direct and create spaces where others feel capable of standing taller than they thought they could. By centering the needs of the team and grounding decisions in empathy, servant leaders cultivate trust that strengthens organizations from the inside out, forming a kind of resilience that does not broadcast itself but is unmistakably felt.