Hey,
Episode 18 of the podcast is live!
In this episode, I sat down with Silvia Román, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Booking.com, mentor, and leadership facilitator.
Silvia has built her career across multiple marketing roles, lived and worked across cultures, and today focuses on product marketing, inclusive leadership, and helping new and aspiring managers grow into confident leaders.
Listen on:
What we talked about:
In this episode, we discussed:
What product marketing really looks like inside a company like Booking.com
The value (and limits) of formal marketing education versus learning on the job
How to influence without authority and why it’s a critical leadership skill
Leading diverse teams and moving from diversity to real inclusion
How to build a practical personal development plan without burning out
Why mastering strengths matters more than fixing every weakness
The difference between leadership, management, and mentorship
How to approach underperforming teams with clarity and trust
Why leadership is ultimately a relationship, not a title
Silvia Romàn
“Influence without authority is about building trust first. Leadership is a relationship, not a position.”
A few key learnings:
Influence without authority is built on trust, not control. Listening deeply and understanding motivations matter more than positional power.
Product marketing creates value by connecting dots between product, market, and commercial teams—not by owning a single metric.
Leadership development works best when it’s intentional and focused: one strength to master, one area to improve, not ten at once.
Diversity alone is not enough—without inclusion and proper leadership skills, it can actually increase friction.
Underperformance is often misdiagnosed: clarity on expectations and genuine relationships are prerequisites to performance.
Episode Chapters
00:00 – Introduction and Silvia’s background
02:50 – Formal marketing education vs real-world learning
05:20 – Growth marketing, experimentation, and structure
06:15 – Cultural differences, diversity, and inclusion in teams
10:30 – What product marketing means at Booking.com
13:15 – Product discovery and early involvement of marketing
15:10 – Metrics, product adoption, and go-to-market confidence
19:10 – Challenges of product marketing sitting under product
22:00 – Learning mindset and personal development philosophy
26:30 – Building a practical personal growth plan step by step
34:00 – Influence without authority: definition and examples
40:30 – Leadership as a relationship, not a role
45:15 – Mentorship, leadership, and team dynamics
47:30 – Managing underperforming teams
49:30 – Silvia’s leadership program and where to find her
Say "Hi" to Silvia:
Free Leadership test: https://theseedstolead.com/signup-leadership-capability-mapping-tool
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Ivan
