Justin's Top 10 Truisms of Product Management

Now for the conclusion of my Top 10 Product Management Truisms.

Our list so far:

1. Names stick
2. Good enough is permanent
3. Product management is all about trust
4. The Scoreboard Effect
5. Metaphors are gold
6. Ambiguity is your enemy
7. UI is the biggest blend of the WHAT and the HOW of products
8. Code is poetry. ?

Today’s theme: Alignment

#9. Socialize before presenting

Have you ever gone into a big meeting, sat at a big table, prepared and eager to share your big new vision for your product, only to get halfway through slide 2 when you’re abruptly stopped and the fundamental point of your content is objected to? ?

Yeah.? It’s not fun.? And no, you won’t get past slide 2 today. This meeting is now off the rails, so the best you can probably do now is to make a point of publicly scheduling follow-up 1-1’s with the two most “important” people (the voices with the most clout in the room) to hear their input.?

But next time what you can do is this:? socialize your idea beforehand.?

Gradually build up your army of supporters so that when it comes time to share in the “big meeting”, you already know that you have multiple people in the room, including the most likely objectors, who have bashed, ripped, beaten, shredded, and pierced your vision as many times as they were able.? This means that your presentation will be familiar to them (instead of a surprise) and when others look around the room as you present, they will see nods of agreement, instead of skeptical looks (which will result in skeptical statements) which de-rail your mission.

Important note:? Start small, with a single, trusted colleague who is informed enough to have an opinion on your content.? Here’s the trick:? you have to INVITE them to find every flaw in your plan that they can….rip it apart.? You are not looking for head-nodding or quiet assent here.? Do not get defensive or justify the flaws (clarifying is fine).? You must get them to point out every weakness in your plan that they can imagine…and if you can do that, then one of 3 things will happen:

1. You learn that your plan is trash and you throw it away.
2. You learn of some flaws in your plan.? You can then work to improve upon the plan itself and come back for another round with this same colleague(s).
3. Your colleague cannot find any more problems with your plan.? You have now added one more supporter to your cause!? Congratulations. This person will be one of the nodding heads when you present widely.

Now slightly expand your scope and repeat the process.? Remember to circle back to earlier colleagues with any major changes. It takes time and effort, but in that process your vision will become stronger, you'll gain an army of supporters, and you will have polished your presentation of the content. Good luck!

#10 Product Managers are Storytellers

Humans communicate through stories.? This is how we teach our children, relate to our friends, (try to) impress dates, and convince other people to join our way of thinking.

This aspect of the role is something that I learned late in my career and I believe this to be true, perhaps above everything else role-related.? When I began as a Product Manager, I thought that simply conceiving a great systemic solution for a customer problem was the most important output I could provide.? Yet, while I was able to apply my technical skills and problem-solving to my challenges, I was lacking in the ability to gain momentum behind these efforts.? This resulted in many days of what I call “swimming upstream” (it's tiring and eventually you will drown), slowing efforts and limiting adoption. I was missing something.

Years later, I identified that it was the social element of aligning behind the vision (not just defining the solution to target) that motivated and inspired people.? Tying back to item #9 above, storytelling is the skill that builds teams and becomes a powerful force for change.? Since Product Management is fundamentally about creating the right change, it’s important to recognize and embrace the significance of storytelling in our role.? People who tell a good story get resources. ? They get teams.? They get marketing, and partners, and customers.

So remember that you (product people) are storytellers.? Learn your story well.? Tell it with conviction.? If it’s a good story, you will gather an audience.

And don’t forget that you must repeat your stories!? You have been thinking about this content for hours, every day, for a long time now.? Your listeners are hearing it for the first time, and they have a lot going on in their own worlds.? How much do you think they’ll absorb on first listen?? Now think to how we tell stories in our home lives…bedtime stories for our children…after enough nights, they will remember every word and recite it back to you (and correct you when you get it wrong).? So don’t presume that your busy colleagues will grasp it all on first listen…or second listen….repeat, repeat, repeat.? And if you’re lucky, you might even overhear them telling the same story to others some day.

That’s the list! ?

Thank you for reading and I hope you found some of these helpful, insightful, or perhaps relatable.

If you liked this, and you want to hear the B-side, let me know in the comments and reactions.?

-Justin