As a product leader, we should never let our teams think success is just delivering a feature, because our product teams don’t exist to deliver features. We exist to deliver business value by solving customer problems. Any time we learn how to solve a valuable customer problem and we launch that, we have succeed.
Am I listening?
In a time of unrest, where each side has an opinion to share, it can be easy to forget the power of listening. Listening allows us to get a new perspective. Listening allows us to genuinely care for others. Listening allows us to be changed. Listening gives a voice to the unheard. Listening makes us …
Ignore your customers?
Shouldn’t we always listen to our customers if we want to create great products? Yes and no. Blindly following the maxim that good managers should keep close to their customers can sometimes be a fatal mistake. Clayton Christensen – The Innovator’s Dilemma Clayton Christensen goes on to outline the dilemma we face as product managers. …
Table stakes in product management?
I sometimes hear the phrase “table stakes” used to describe a feature. Basically a shorthand for a feature we can’t possibly leave out because the competitors have it, and the customer expects it. As a product manager, this assumption of “table stakes” is dangerous because it assumes knowledge of our customer’s needs and leads to …
Has your leadership changed?
In a recent BBC article, they outlined how certain leadership strengths don’t translate in a remote work environment, and how new leadership styles or strengths stand out when working remote. “In face-to-face interactions, most of us are very easily swayed by the power of personality,” says Purvanova. “Virtually, we are less swayed by someone’s personality …
Will you take responsibility?
I have sometimes complained about a micromanaging boss, but am I ready to accept the repercussions that come from being given the autonomy to lead and potentially fail? Thomas Ricks’ book The Generals examines this issue from the perspective of how leadership in the Army has changed since World War II. He outlines how George …
Investing in Leadership?
How are you investing in your leadership this week? John Maxwell puts it this way: Becoming a leader is a lot like investing successfully in the stock market. If your hope is to make a fortune in a day, you’re not going to be successful. There are no successful “day traders” in leadership development. What …
Necessary Conflict?
Are your team meetings boring? Do you find your team avoiding controversial topics in order to “play nice”? Do changes only happen through backchannels? If so, your team might have a fear of conflict. I’m not talking about personal attacks, mean-spirited comments, and the like. But if you want better ideas from your team, if …
Patterns
As we transition from a Waterfall to an Agile approach to planning and product management, there is fear that there will be no plan, no organization, and long term vision. In the book, A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander captures well though how we can use patterns, starting small and growing bigger to create a town …
Cannibalizing Your Product
What would it look like to cannibalize your own business, your own product? Clayton Christensen said it well when he wrote – “The fear of cannibalizing sales of existing products is often cited as a reason why established firms delay the introduction of new technologies.” If we fail to disrupt ourselves, then we will allow …