In this episode, Pete Steege, founder and CEO of B2B Clarity, joins Rebecca Kalogeris to explore the journey from technical expert to business leader, a shift many product managers and founders navigate without a clear playbook. A self-proclaimed “rewired engineer,” Pete shares how he transitioned from solving black-and-white engineering problems to leading in the gray areas of emotion, vision, and customer connection.
Pete introduces key tools he uses with accidental CEOs to cut through complexity and build trust, including:
- Bullseye Market: Identify not just your target market, but the specific customers who best align with your mission.
- Truth Chain: Connect customer problems directly to your business capabilities (this is where real differentiation happens).
- Impact Matrix: Redefine how decisions are made by clearly delegating authority and providing essential context.
Pete emphasizes the role of radical clarity in leadership and why both CEOs and product managers must act as “keepers of the flame,” continually reinforcing mission, audience, and purpose.
He also shares his Zero Culture approach: Stop asking what to add and start asking what to remove, especially if it gets in the way of your customers seeing the value you deliver.
Key Takeaways:
1. Technical to Strategic – Being good at building doesn’t prepare you to grow a business. It takes a mindset shift.
2. Clarify, Then Simplify – Leadership isn’t about saying more; it’s about saying what matters most.
3. Structure Decisions – Command-and-control doesn’t scale. Create systems that balance clarity and autonomy.
Guest Bio
Pete Steege is the founder and CEO of B2B Clarity, where he helps accidental CEOs, often technical experts or product-minded leaders, gain radical clarity, build trust, and scale smart. A former electrical engineer turned business strategist, Pete draws on decades of experience across product, marketing, and executive leadership. He offers tools, frameworks, and a free leadership audit at b2b-clarity.com/chat.
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