In this episode of Hard Calls, CSI’s Senior Vice President of Product Management, Daniel Haisley, and host Trisha Price explore the hard calls that define product leadership, not just the ones on a product roadmap, but the ones about people. They then dig into how banks are deepening customer relationships through digital banking services. Here’s a hint: It has everything to do with data.

Here's what you'll discover:

The hardest call isn't about features - it's about people. When reviewing a team structure, one must decide who's ready for the next level and who deserves honesty about their next move. Daniel walks through how to make those decisions with both clarity and compassion, and why delivering hard news can be a gift.

The evolution of community banking: From branches to digital. For decades, local banks differentiated themselves by the in-person relationships they had with customers. Then digital happened. Daniel reveals how to sustain customer loyalty by knowing customers as deeply online as a teller knew them in person.

The data opportunity: Why banks are sitting on gold they can't use. Most banks sit on goldmines of customer insights - transaction history, spending patterns, life events - but they encounter issues that prevent them from acting on those insights. Daniel shares the issues he sees most often, and more importantly, how to break through each one.

The experimentation barrier: Why banks still fear testing. With technology and AI, teams can build and iterate on new ideas in minutes, not days, yet many banks still hesitate to test new ideas. Daniel exposes the perfectionism mindset that kills experimentation and shows how to shift from "get it right" to "get it learning" - even in risk-averse industries.

Giving tools to banks: Differentiation without complexity. Community and regional banks can't hire massive data science teams or compete on R&D budgets. But they can compete on personalization if you give them the right tools. Daniel reveals the product strategy that lets traditional institutions differentiate and actually serve their customers better in a digital-first world.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) Introduction: From SaaS Builder to CSI Leadership
• (03:36) The Hard Call: Making People Decisions in Acquisition
• (06:11) When High Performance Becomes a Problem
• (07:34) Why Honest Feedback Can Be the Best Gift
• (09:05) The Evolution of Community Banking: From Branches to Digital
• (10:48) What Gets Lost When Banking Goes Digital
• (12:31) Data as the New Relationship Currency
• (14:02) The Five Whys: Getting to Root Problems
• (15:20) Customer Research That Actually Informs Strategy
• (16:32) The Data Opportunity: Why Banks Are Sitting on Gold They Can't Use
• (19:07) The Maturity Gap: Financial Institutions Aren't Ready
• (20:42) The Ownership Problem: When Everyone Has a Veto
• (22:41) Finding Best Practices Across the Institution
• (23:29) The Experimentation Barrier: Why Banks Still Fear Testing
• (24:34) How Technology Made Iteration Accessible
• (25:33) Beyond Vanity Metrics: Measuring Real Outcomes
• (27:29) Personalization Isn't About Messages—It's About Outcomes
• (28:01) Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn't Work Anymore
• (29:36) Giving Tools to Community Banks: Differentiation Without Complexity
• (31:13) The Partnership That Changes Everything

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Presented by Pendo. Discover more insights at Pendo.io or connect with Trisha Price on LinkedIn.

"Technology doesn't replace service; it helps it scale." - Anuar Chapur

Most product leaders build software. Anuar Chapur, Chief Product and Technology Officer at The Palace Company, builds memorable experiences for guests staying at his family’s luxury resorts across Mexico, the Caribbean, Italy, and the Maldives.

In this episode of Hard Calls, hosted by Trisha Price, Anuar shares how he applies product thinking to in-person guest experiences. Anuar’s thinking goes beyond software. He and his team use AI and data to scale human connections at each resort, which Anuar calls "coloring moments" that guests remember long after checkout.

Here's what you'll discover:

The hard call: Transforming a family’s 40-year legacy. Anuar shares the difficult decision to transform the family business into a product-led organization to deliver the best guest experiences, knowing there was no Plan B for him.

How product thinking led to scalable human connections. At The Palace Company, product management isn't just about digital experiences—it's about orchestrating exceptional in-person experiences and service. Anuar explains how technology can amplify what makes hospitality magical, rather than automate the magic away.

Exceptional service sits at the intersection of data, taste, and product sense. Anuar set out to change the way the company handled feedback and introduced a decision process based on data, not gut reactions. He also reveals how he adapted the concept of "unreasonable hospitality" to empower his team to use AI and data to proactively create moments of delight for guests at scale.

Rebuilding the leadership team’s mindset for transformation. Whether you inherit a team or build one from scratch, you need people who are eager to make an impact and create something exceptional. Anuar shares why he rebuilt his leadership team with the right skillsets, product thinking, and obsession over the customer.

Episode Chapters

• (00:00) Introduction: Product Leadership Beyond Software
• (06:35) The Hard Call: Transforming Your Family's 40-Year Legacy
• (11:47) What Product Management Looks Like in Luxury Hospitality
• (16:30) Using AI to Scale Human Connections, Not Replace It
• (21:00) Building Healthy Conflict in a Conflict-Avoidant Culture
• (24:27) Creating "Coloring Moments" That Guests Remember
• (27:00) How Digital Products Create In-person Experiences
• (31:30) Rebuilding the Leadership Team for Transformation
• (36:00) Closing: When Your User Interface Is a Human Being

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Presented by Pendo. Discover more insights at pendo.io or connect with Trisha Price on LinkedIn.

It's the first week of a new year. You're looking at your roadmap, your team, your strategy - and you're realizing something: You need to make some hard decisions. The thing is, the hardest calls aren’t deciding what features to build.

Rather, it's likely determining who on the team comes with you on the journey. Or deciding which products to sunset, even if they're generating revenue. Or it's making the choice to bet everything on a new direction.

In this special compilation episode of Hard Calls, host Trisha Price brings together the three types of hard calls shared by her guests, featuring Jodi McDermott, Jessica Soroky, Pierre Naudé, Peter Bailey, Naomi Larivière, Noa Ginsberg, Mark Mitchell, Ben Currin, Todd Olson, Gabrielle Bufrem, and Marty Cagan.

This isn't a highlight reel. This is a breakdown of the three types of decisions that define product leadership: the People Calls, the Stop Calls, and the Go Calls.

Here are the three types of hard calls you’ll hear about in this episode:

• The People Calls that define your culture.
• The Stop Calls that protect trust and enterprise value.
• The Go Calls that reshape the company and customer adoption.

Episode Chapters

• (00:23) Introduction: The Three Types of Hard Calls
• (01:51) Part 1: The People Calls
• (02:20) Jodi McDermott: The High Performer Who Undermines Culture
• (03:00) Jessica Soroky: When a Good Person Isn't the Right Fit
• (04:30) Pierre Naudé: Scaling Beyond Your Founding Team
• (05:58) Part 2: The Stop Calls
• (06:38) Peter Bailey: Pausing a Federal Reserve Launch at JPMorgan
• (09:20) Naomi Larivière: When Innovation Collides with Trust at ADP
• (11:35) Jodi McDermott: Sunsetting a Product Built for One Customer
• (14:38) Mark Mitchell: Walking Away from a Large Prospect
• (17:09) Ad Break: Pandemonium 2026 Festival
• (18:04) Part 3: The Go Calls
• (18:16) Noa Ginsberg: Trust Your Gut But Verify with Data
• (19:22) Ben Currin: Pivoting Vantaca's Entire Strategy to AI
• (20:32) Todd Olson: Building Without Budget or Permission at Rally
• (22:51) Gabrielle Bufrem: Betting on Herself as a Coach
• (25:13) Marty Cagan: The eBay Lesson on Product Adoption
• (27:43) Closing: Making the Call with the Right Data

Whether you're navigating AI transformation, restructuring your team for the next stage of growth, or deciding what to say no to this year, this episode gives you the confidence to make the hard calls that matter.

Love the episode?

Drop us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share it with a teammate navigating transformation or trying to build better product instincts. Every subscription helps more product leaders find Hard Calls.

Presented by Pendo. Discover more insights at pendo.io or connect with Trisha Price on LinkedIn.