Little by little, you can go a long way

The title of this piece is based on an old saying, apparently originating in Spain, and sometimes misattributed to Tolkien, but either way it neatly sums up my attitude to running, product management, and life in general. You don’t need to change the world in one go, but if you are focused, dedicated, and want to improve, then you can keep making small improvements day by day which add up to impressive achievements. Essentially this is the principle of atomic habits popularised by James Clear in his ground-breaking book “Atomic Habits”:

“Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.”

Why do I love running, what has this got to do with Tolkien or James Clear, and what’s the connection with product management? Well, I’ve been pondering my love of running for a while, and there’s certainly an element of pure competitive instinct, along with my analytical achiever mentality. I like competing in races, I like trying to beat my own best times at different distances, and I like being able to track all the statistics related to both training and races.

Beyond this, though, I think a key element of running that feels pure and valuable to me, particularly in the current time, is that there are no shortcuts. You can’t cheat your way to a quick marathon time, you simply need to put in the time and effort in training. You need to think about all the key elements and improve each of them, with support and guidance from friends, club mates, coaches, and leading experts in the field (through podcasts, articles and books for example).

For a marathon, you likely need to do long runs, tempo runs, speedwork sessions, maybe some strength and conditioning, think about hydration, plan and practice your fueling during the race, as well as train yourself for the mental ordeal of a marathon. This does mean though that the focus and effort you put into running generally translates into clear, observable results – you can see progress as you go. Little by little, you can track your improved fitness and through intentional, consistent training eventually you will become ready and able to run a marathon!

I think Haruki Murakami put it best in his excellent book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”:

“For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level.”

My approach to product management is rather similar. There are many different aspects you need to think about such as customer engagement, effective stakeholder management, strategy development, prioritisation, product analytics, product roadmapping, product discovery, leadership, and product vision, amongst others. If you think about each of these key elements and work to improve them, with support and guidance from friends, colleagues, coaches, and leading experts in the field (through podcasts, articles and books for example) then I fully believe that you will see the impacts both through your products, as well as in personal and organisational success. You may not see the improvements immediately, but every week or month your 1% improvements here and there will add up to big impacts over the course of years.

I think the nearest equivalent I’ve come across in the product management field, is Marty Cagan’s quote from an article on his Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) site:

“I believe in continuous improvement. Starting with myself. Then of the people and teams I work with. And especially of the techniques and methods that I advocate to others.”

You don’t need to run to be a good product manager of course, but I think this general approach to continuously developing your skills, your approach, and your mentality over time to see observable results is powerful.

If you are already a product manager, good luck with your next step with your products! If you aren’t yet a product manager, or a runner, perhaps I’ve inspired you to try one or the other…

What is your approach to personal, professional, and career development? Do you subscribe to the atomic habits approach, or not, and why?

References

1. Atomic Habits – James Clear
2. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
3. This I Believe – Marty Cagan, SVPG