Protect Your “Yes”

Everyone loves to hear the word, “yes,” especially when they’re asking you for something. Your customers love to hear “yes.” Your stakeholders love to hear “yes.” Your executives love to hear “yes.” The problem is, you can’t say “yes” to everything. There will always be more good ideas than there are resources to execute them. As a product leader or product manager, you are the protector of the company’s highest priorities. When a priority is set, that becomes your “yes.” It’s your job to protect it.

While it’s not as much fun and you might not make as many friends in the short term, you need to employ a critical word that was likely one of the first words in your vocabulary as a toddler – “no.” “No” is the protector of “yes.” The more you say, “no,” the more likely you will succeed in achieving your “yes” objectives. Achieving your “yes” objectives requires discipline, but it helps your organization to succeed, which is both fun and helps you to win friends.

Failing to protect your “yes” will inevitably result in your not achieving your top goals, whatever they are. Protecting your “yes” means allocating time and resources to those very few objectives that are going to drive your product or company forward, despite the day-to-day whirlwind of other activities needed to maintain your product or business. It’s critical to avoid distractions that appear as “shiny objects,” such as a new idea from an executive or a request from a hot sales prospect. These new opportunities need to be evaluated and weighed against the other 100 things that could be given attention, including your “yes.”

The Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX) model is a framework for protecting your “yes.” The model’s creators call their “yes” the Wildly Important Goal, or WIG. In this model, everyone has one WIG which lines up with the organization’s overall WIG. When a WIG is set, 20% of all time and resources are dedicated toward that WIG, regardless of whatever else is going on. This is a great example of protecting the “yes.”

Parkinson’s Law says that work will expand to the time available for its completion. That means, if you allow other things to encroach on your “yes,” they will gladly swallow up the time and resources left unprotected and your “yes” will not be achieved as intended.

The time to consider new ideas as well as old ideas that were not previously given the “yes” priority is during your company’s annual or semi-annual planning. Every product manager in the company should be involved in the strategic planning process, whether directly or indirectly. As the product managers should be experts in the market, their involvement in annual strategic planning will help to assure alignment of the company strategy with the market and the product strategy with the company strategy and market. This keeps the company from investing in activities that don’t drive market value, which is the foundation to company growth. Product success is not about building many features but about focusing on the few initiatives that will have the greatest impact.

Saying “no” isn’t easy. You’re balancing a million requests, and sometimes it feels like everyone is pulling you in different directions. But staying disciplined about your “yes” is what will set you, and your products, apart. It is the safeguard that ensures your "yes" objectives are met. By focusing on the most impactful initiatives and aligning them with your company’s strategic goals, you’re able to focus your limited resources on things that foster long-term success. Protecting your "yes" requires discipline, clear prioritization, and the courage to keep distractions at bay. When you do, you create a pathway for meaningful progress that serves your customers, your team, and the business overall.

If you’re looking for more insights or support with your product management practice or strategic planning, feel free to reach out. I'm always happy to chat and exchange ideas.

And for those in Southern California, there’s a great opportunity to join us at OC Product on Thursday, September 26. We’ll be hosting a discussion led by John Mansour of Product Management University on 'How to Deliver Strategic Customer Value Guaranteed.' It's going to be a great chance to network with fellow product leaders and explore new ways to create value. Hope to see you there!

Register here: https://OCPMsep2024.eventbrite.com/?aff=LinkedInPost

#productmanagement #leadership #strategic #planning

Please see the other articles in this five-part series of my guiding principles in product management:

Be Market-focused, not Customer-focused

What Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

Seek and Study Dead Bodies

Product Readiness is More than Just Launch Readiness