Get the Samurai inspiration
Product management is full of noise. Endless frameworks, shiny buzzwords, fake agility. Chris Lukassen slices through all that — with stories, scars, and strategies that stick.
He’s built real products in real companies. He’s led nine teams, scaled startups, crashed a few, and walked out of boardrooms both applauded and bruised. He knows the messy middle — and he turns that mess into learning, laughter, and lasting change.
Expect a talk that feels like a dojo: a little uncomfortable, occasionally funny, and always transformative and your audience walks away with stories that make sense of chaos, frameworks that make complexity actionable and the courage to do things differently on Monday
"Voted best speaker at Product Owner Day twice in a row"
Why Audiences Love Him
Because he tells the truth — with humor and heart.
Because he connects Eastern philosophy to modern product chaos in a way that makes sense.
And because he makes you feel something — not just nod politely.
He’s been on stages from Lisbon to Delhi to Zurich, at Mind the Product, Productised, Product Management Festival, Scrum Day Europe, Microsoft Tech Days, Agile NCR, and more.
Audiences don’t just leave inspired — they leave changed.
Typical
Formats
Keynote (30–60 min) — fast, fiery, focused
Workshop / Masterclass (2–4 h) — deep dive, hands-on
Executive Session (1–2 h) — strategic, intimate
Panel / Fireside Chat — dynamic, provocative
Watch him in action:
🎥 Future Works – Lisbon
🎥 Lavacon – Dublin
🎥 Agile Chef – Amsterdam
Talks that hit differently
The Secret of the Storyteller
Want to make people listen — and act? These sessions dive into the art and science of influence. From crafting magnetic stories to mastering the many stances of a Product Manager, you’ll walk away with tools that make your message land and your impact visible.
Confessions of a CPO
A humorous yet painfully true keynote about the realities of product leadership. Through pop culture metaphors and battle-tested stories, you’ll discover what it really takes to lead — not just manage — product organizations. It’s equal parts honesty, humility, and hard-earned wisdom.
Judo Strategy
How do you outsmart a stronger opponent? Borrow from the dojo. This talk blends martial arts strategy with product development — showing how agility, leverage, and timing can help your product or startup outperform the giants. Expect energy, laughs, and practical tactics.
The Black Belt of Product Management
Everyone talks about agility — few talk about effectiveness. This keynote explores the six levers that separate busy teams from truly impactful ones. Through case studies, humor, and real-world examples, you’ll see what it takes to master product leadership at black-belt level.
A Battleplan for Your First 30 Days as a Product Manager
Starting a new role feels like stepping into a storm. This talk helps you build a clear plan for your first 30 days — aligning people, data, and purpose so you can make an impact fast. Inspired by Sun Tzu, tested in the trenches.
Product Leadership Lessons from the Samurai
Ancient wisdom meets modern leadership. This session explores how the mindset and principles of the Samurai can make you a calmer, more effective product leader. You’ll discover how purpose, presence, and balance turn pressure into performance.
The Stances of the
Product Manager
Product management is not one role — it’s six. This interactive session explores the stances every great PM must master: customer representative, visionary, decision maker, collaborator, influencer, and experimenter. You’ll experience them all — and leave knowing which one to use next.
Influence
Leadership
Strategy
Using balance in conflict
It's not always a smooth ride. How do we handle conflict? and how do we get the other to move, when we have absolutely no power over them? A talk about accountability, behaviour and balance.
Balance
Empowering product leaders through samurai-inspired training.
Discipline
Leadership
chris@productdojo.nl
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