I had the pleasure of joining the International Product Owner Day on May 15th, hosted by Achmea, It Circle, and Rabobank at the Rabobank headquarters in Utrecht. And I have to say: it was one of those afternoons where everything came together—people, content, and inspiration.
The day started off strong with a keynote by Margriet Sitskoorn. She took us on a journey through the brain and how it either enables or resists change. One insight that stuck with me: people with higher status tend to focus more on whether the outcome is fair, while people with lower status focus on whether the process is fair. A simple but powerful distinction.
Margriet also walked us through Lewin’s three phases of change:
- Unfreeze – Create awareness that change is needed
- Change – Move from old ways to new behaviors
- Refreeze – Reinforce and embed the change
And then the SCARF model followed—Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness. Apparently, our brains love predictability and fairness more than we like to admit.
What I personally took from this: before you change anything, ask yourself:
- Do I truly want to change?
- Which beliefs or mental frames might sabotage the process?
- What automatic responses am I bringing to the table?
- Can I take a breath before reacting—and choose how to respond, instead of reacting on autopilot?
After that, the program continued with a series of compact, sharp 10-minute talks. Here are a few takeaways that still resonate:
🔍 Elmer Hiemstra (Product Owner at BOL) reminded us: don’t jump to solutions. Start by understanding the problem. His mantra? Outcomes over output. His 5 key principles:
- Outcomes over output
- Obsess over customers
- Experimentation mindset
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Empowered teams
🔄 Leo Agtereek (UWV) dove into transitions and why some Agile transformations fail. He introduced a model highlighting 5 critical areas:
- Talent management evolution (Decentralize HR responsibilities. Algin recruitment with Agile needs. Revamp performance management.)
- Cultural and leadership shifts (Foster psychological safety. Lead by example. Support teams through servant leadership. Start small with pilots.)
- Addressing the “Death of Agile” critique (Prioritize principles over processes. Acknowledge past failures.)
- Lean thinking alignment (Eliminate waste. Continuous improvement. Reduce work-in-progress.)
- System thinking integration (Optimize the full value stream. Implement feedback loops. Break silos.)
🤖 Antonio di Marzo showcased the power of AI in product development. The contrast in cost and output was striking:
- €1.00/min for a human = processing ~50 words
- €0.10/min for AI = processing ~5,000 words
His advice? Prompt engineering is no longer optional—it’s becoming a core Product Owner skill. One task per prompt. Keep it single purpose.
🎯 Finally, Hugo van Halder (FastNed) talked about influence. As a PO, how do you lead without authority? He introduced a practical framework:
- Situation analysis (What is the current situation?)
- Define objectives (What goals do you want to achieve?)
- Build coalitions and alliances (Who can help you reach these goals?)
- Define key audiences (Who are you going to share your message with?)
- Identify key messages (What will your message say?)
- Identify communication channels (How will you deliver the message?)
- Impact monitoring (What impact did your message have?)
And just like that, the afternoon flew by. The logistics were on point. The hospitality was great. The content—solid. But more than anything, it gave me time to reflect and think about my current accountability. Product Ownership can be messy, but with the right mindset and tools, we can keep growing.
