Guest Post: A Love Letter to the MSPM Class of 2020…

I had the pleasure this past week to give a talk at CMU at the request of Brad Eiben, who heads up their product management degree program.?Brad, in turn, shared with me his commencement talk for the class of 2020, and I think it is something we can all profit from reading.?

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As we start, I’d like to take the opportunity to share some words of encouragement, and perhaps, a call to action.?I hope to share with you the most important thing I know.?I won’t be able to read this without emotion, so please forgive the lack of polish.?I share it because I truly care that it impacts your future and multiplies.

This is my love letter to the MSPM class of 2020…

We’ve all heard different forms of the proverb, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”

As someone who has been blessed to know you… to interact with you… and to understand your incredible skills – I can declare with confidence that this cohort possesses greatness.

In fact, you’re role models.?Think about it…?consider, at least, things you have in common…?you’re accomplished professionals, you’re graduates of Carnegie Mellon University, you’re now one of fewer than 100 masters of science in product management on the planet.?Shall I go on?

As the program’s Executive Director, I consistently encounter people who either wish to be you or are actively striving to become you.?Many are planning their lives right now to follow in your footsteps.?The vast majority will either stumble or fail.?You’ve succeeded.?You’re simultaneously role models and trailblazers.

You know how to succeed.?You’ve proven it.?Again and again.

To live truly great lives, however, tasting success is only the beginning.?Viktor Frankl was an innovative psychiatrist and author of, “Man’s Search for Meaning.”?He was also a survivor of four Nazi concentration camps.?He saw and lived the highest highs and lowest lows a human can experience.?As you embark on your inevitably bright futures, I urge you to consider Frankl’s advice regarding the role of success in your life and career.?Frankl writes:

Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself.

If this thinking sounds parallel to our approach to understanding user needs and providing solutions for them, I don’t think that’s an accident.?I interpret this as Frankl guiding us to find unmet needs and those we may serve in life.?In other words, manage your life and purpose with the PM same tools you already know.?

I’ve known countless friends and colleagues who have relentlessly climbed the ladder for two or three decades before pausing for a deep breath and to take inventory.?They… and if I’m being honest… we… hit our mid-40s only to be stricken by that momentary shock of realizing that too many of our goals were self-serving at best; selfish at worst.

As you build your portfolio of successes in the coming years and decades, I beg you to stop frequently and ensure you are able to articulate, “Why?”?Don’t stop with why, however.?This is where the enlightened masses often stop.?You’re leaders, after all.?Leaders are also tasked with the responsibility to ask, “For whom?”?

You all have unmatched skills and unrivaled reputations.?You have great power.?The burden of great responsibility is not optional.?You own it.?What will you do with it??Steve Jobs might ask, “What will your dent in the universe look like?”

At this point, I’m reminded of the cautionary tale of the proverbial character who spent their whole life ruthlessly climbing the corporate ladder… only to realize that the ladder was propped against the wrong wall.?It is a powerful metaphor, so I’ll pause for a second so you may visualize it…

I share this because it is my most recent epiphany as I continue my journey…?my most recent directional pivot in mindset and meaning.?It is the single most precious possession that I have to share with you as I continue to grow and learn.?

I realized my purpose when I started prioritizing coaching over deadlines, metrics, and other various goals.?Switching my focus outward rather than inward.?When I consciously started my weekly and daily to-do lists with the question, “Who might I be able to help?” the success ensued and multiplied.?I found joy.?

This role has given me the opportunity to multiply my “why” and “for whom” exponentially, and I am forever grateful.?I’m honored simply to know you as amazing people and caring individuals.?Words cannot express the extent to which this is true and heartfelt.?To paraphrase the great professor and author, Randy Pausch, it is the thing I would do for free.

I introduced this as a love letter and stand behind that choice of words.?I have truly loved working alongside you, our 2020 graduates and our MSPM team, and love watching of your limitless future unfold.

So, let’s make purpose our brand.?Let’s work to build, to lead, and to solve problems in such a manner that our skills serve the world around us.?Success will follow.?This is the responsibility of an MS in Product Management graduate.?Starting today, let this be our dent in the universe.?Find your why.?Find who you’ll serve.

This is MSPM.