Learning That Communication Is the Real Product

Context

Inter-Tel was where I entered product management.

The company was navigating the transition from traditional telecommunications into a world increasingly shaped by VoIP, web conferencing, and digital collaboration.

Organizations weren’t simply buying phone systems anymore. They were trying to help people communicate across distance, teams, and increasingly distributed work environments.

I entered as an analyst and was promoted into product management within two years.

My Role

I worked across market analysis, product strategy, prototyping, go-to-market planning, and launch execution for emerging communication technologies.

This was my first exposure to the complexity of balancing customer needs, business objectives, technical constraints, and market timing.

Outcomes

• Helped launch VoIP and web conferencing products during a pivotal industry shift.
• Contributed to expanding the company’s product portfolio into emerging growth categories.
• Earned promotion to Product Manager through strategic market analysis and product leadership.
• Supported faster product introduction through close partnership between engineering, product, and business teams.  

What It Taught Me

This was where I first discovered that technology itself is rarely the thing people care about.

People care about connection.

Technology simply becomes the medium through which connection happens.

Looking back, many of the lessons that would later shape my work in leadership, facilitation, and Sweet Surrender began here.