About | Lisa Hagen

I’ve spent more than 25 years working across software development, UX and interaction design, product management, executive leadership, consulting, and education. My background spans startups, scaling businesses, and large enterprises across healthcare, education technology, enterprise SaaS, marketing technology, and AI-enabled products.

That range matters. It means I’ve seen what it takes to turn a promising idea into a real product, and what it takes to help an organization learn how to make good decisions when the stakes are high and the complexity is real.

My work has often sat in the spaces where strategy meets execution: evaluating opportunities, shaping product direction, launching new capabilities, building product organizations, and helping teams operate with more clarity and accountability.

Over time, the common thread has become clearer: the challenge is rarely lack of ambition. It is the difficulty of turning ambition into meaningful outcomes inside real organizations with competing priorities, imperfect information, and people who are trying to do the right thing under pressure.

That’s where my experience is most useful. I understand both the strategic logic and the operating reality. I’ve built products myself, led teams, navigated growth and transformation, and worked with leaders trying to connect customer needs, business strategy, and product execution.

A career defined by breadth

From building products to building communities.

Builder

I’ve worked hands-on building and commercializing products, helping teams turn concepts into real offerings and real business outcomes.

Leader

I’ve led product teams, helped build product organizations, and worked inside organizations navigating growth, complexity, and transition.

Advisor

I support leaders and organizations that need sharper strategy, stronger decision-making, and practical help making progress.

Educator

I’ve taught at multiple post-secondary institutions and mentored people across many communities. That teaching mindset shapes how I work with every team.

Community builder

I’m a lifelong community builder. I started groups back in Canada, co-founded and ran a coworking space, and today I’m Co-President of the Boston Product Management Association.

Alongside advisory work, I’m also a builder and entrepreneur. My work with Ready Steady reflects my belief that strategy, leadership, and execution need to work together in practice—not just in theory.

I’m also building products of my own, which keeps me deep in the realities of product development, customer acquisition, tradeoffs, and execution. It keeps me close to the daily work of product teams, and grounded in what actually happens inside organizations.

Today, my work sits at the intersection of product strategy, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. I help leaders and organizations make better decisions, get more aligned, and turn ambitious goals into real momentum.