The Realities of Product Management
“Are you building something customers don’t want?”
Classic scaremongering, a tried-and-true tactic to make every Product Manager question their life choices at 3 AM. In reality, most Product Managers are too tangled in red tape and internal politics to even accurately gauge what the customer wants. This phrase is the bread and butter of corporate strategy, designed to induce the kind of existential dread typically reserved for Kafka novels. From then on, most Product development is a haphazard game of guesswork, sprinkled with customer feedback that’s often as clear as mud.
But wait, there’s more. The glorification of the Product Management role paints a picture of a modern-day superhero?—?acting as a bridge, pushing the team, thinking individually while working together. It’s like saying, “You must be a superhero, but don’t forget to be human”. In reality, Product Managers are often glorified cat herders, attempting to align a cacophony of differing opinions, deadlines, and egos. The teams themselves are muddled in bureaucracy, conflicting interests, and communication breakdowns.
Let’s not forget, product development isn’t a hotline to the psychic network. Intuition doesn’t magically lead to success. It’s more a game of trial and error, a messy foray into the unknown, where one hopes that their ‘gut feeling’ miraculously aligns with the ever-fickle whims of the market. The tech industry, in particular, deserves a Palme d’Or for its role in inventing problems just to sell solutions. Remember, we live in a world where smart fridges exist?—?because manually checking if you’re out of milk is so last century.
Addressing this tangled web is akin to untangling a massive knot of Christmas lights?—?a task that requires the patience of a saint, the strategy of a chess grandmaster, and a willingness to completely overhaul the status quo. It’s a Herculean task, requiring a combination of finesse, brute force, and the occasional miracle. But, as with all Herculean tasks, the payoff can be monumental. In the world of Product Management, victory lies in navigating this labyrinth, not in conquering it.
A Few Sincere Words on Fixing this Situation
Cut the Buzzword and Jargon Bloat
Companies need to ditch the corporate jargon and opt for clear, straightforward communication. Ideas should be valued for their substance, not for how well they’re wrapped in fancy terminology. Corporate jargon is like dense fog; it obscures meaning rather than clarifying it. Buzzwords and fancy terms often serve as a smokescreen for the lack of substantial ideas. It’s a linguistic labyrinth that leaves everyone, possibly even the speaker, lost. The first step is to hack through this overgrowth of verbiage. Clear communication is about getting straight to the point without needing a decoder ring. It’s about saying what you mean and meaning what you say. This doesn’t mean dumbing down content; it means respecting the intelligence of your audience enough not to bury your message under a pile of superfluous words.
Jargon can also be exclusionary. It creates in-groups and out-groups?—?those who understand the lingo and those who don’t. By simplifying language, you democratize information, making it accessible to a broader audience. This inclusivity can foster a more collaborative and innovative work environment. Also when people are freed from the shackles of corporate jargon, they can communicate more authentically. Authentic communication fosters trust, builds genuine connections, and can lead to more meaningful discussions. It’s about being human, not a walking corporate glossary.
Genuine Customer Engagement
Engage with customers beyond superficial surveys. Implement real feedback loops, understand evolving needs, and adapt to dynamic demands, rather than assuming a static customer desire. Instead of pretending to know what customers want, actually engage with them. This doesn’t mean sending out a survey and calling it a day. It means continuous interaction, using real feedback loops, and understanding that customer needs evolve. It’s not about building for a static need but adapting to dynamic demands. Always plan for the long term, never for the short term, for short sighted gains. That's a mistake CEOs do, not Product Managers.
Empower, Don’t Overload, Your Product Managers
Innovation isn’t born from playing it safe. Companies need to foster an environment where taking calculated risks is encouraged. This means accepting that failure is a part of the process and learning from it, rather than penalizing it. Foster an environment where calculated risks are welcomed.
Streamline Processes
The layers of bureaucracy that smother creativity and efficiency need to be peeled back. Simpler processes, clearer roles, and less micromanagement can go a long way in improving productivity and satisfaction. Reduce bureaucracy to enhance creativity and efficiency. Be mindful that streamlining processes in a corporate environment is akin to clearing out an old attic cluttered with decades of accumulated, needless stuff; corporations often have processes that are as redundant as a waterproof teabag. These are typically legacy procedures that have outlived their usefulness but persist due to a ‘that’s how it’s always been done’ mentality. Conducting a thorough audit to identify and eliminate these redundancies can significantly streamline operations.
The approval processes are a topic of its own. Ever been in a situation where getting approval feels like trying to get a bill through parliament? Overly complex approval processes are the bane of productivity. Simplifying these, perhaps by reducing the number of approvals needed or setting clear criteria for when higher-level approval is required, can speed up operations significantly. Also micromanagement is the corporate equivalent of someone backseat driving in a parking lot. It’s annoying, unnecessary, and counterproductive. By fostering a culture of trust and granting employees more autonomy, you not only improve job satisfaction but also encourage them to take ownership of their work, leading to better results. Utilizing modern tools and technology too can streamline many processes. This isn’t about jumping on every tech bandwagon, but about thoughtfully implementing systems that genuinely improve efficiency. This could be anything from project management software to automating certain repetitive tasks driving people either mad, or out of the company altogether.
A lot of bureaucratic processes exist because of poor communication. As mentioned previously, encouraging open, cross-departmental communication can prevent problems from being siloed and allow for more direct problem-solving approaches.
Remember that the business world isn’t static, so your processes shouldn’t be either. Regular reviews and revisions of processes ensure they stay relevant and efficient. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive.
Set Realistic Goals and Expectations
Set goals that are ambitious yet achievable, to provide a sense of accomplishment rather than constant inadequacy. Setting sky-high goals might sound motivating, but it’s often just a recipe for stress and burnout. Goals should be ambitious yet achievable. Setting realistic goals and expectations in a corporate environment is a fine art, often as neglected as the quiet genius in a room full of loud mediocrities. Often, companies set lofty goals, mistaking them for ambition. The problem? These goals are like chasing a mirage. They look splendid from a distance but are unattainable up close. This approach can create an environment of perpetual disappointment, where employees always feel like they’re falling short, no matter how hard they work.
Setting goals that are challenging yet achievable plays a crucial psychological role. It taps into the basic human need for accomplishment. When employees meet these goals, it triggers a positive feedback loop. They feel competent and motivated, which in turn drives them to take on and conquer new challenges.
Effective goal setting is like sculpting?—?it requires both vision and a keen sense of reality. Goals should stretch the capabilities of the team but remain within the realm of possibility. This means understanding the team’s strengths, weaknesses, and the resources at hand. Don'’ use it as a formulae though, customisation is essential; not all teams or individuals are created equal. What’s ambitious for one might be routine for another. Tailoring goals to fit the specific context of a team or individual can make them more relevant and motivating.
Breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable milestones can make the journey less daunting. Regular checkpoints allow for adjustments and course corrections, ensuring that the goals remain realistic and aligned with changing circumstances. As I wrote in a previous article, life is not linear, everything changes, and drawing a large multi-year plan is useless. Adapt, react, don't simply blindly follow a linear plan with no space for adjustments, as it is, plain simply put, a certain recipe for failure.
egular feedback on progress towards these goals is crucial. Recognition of achievements, no matter how small, reinforces the value of the effort put in. It’s not just about reaching the destination; it’s about valuing the journey.
Remember that unrealistically high goals can lead to burnout, a state of chronic stress that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion. By setting realistic goals, companies can maintain employee engagement and well-being, which in turn leads to better long-term productivity; the problem isn't just?“Are you building something customers don’t want?”.
Even with realistic goals, failure is a possibility. As mentioned previously, the key is to treat failures as learning opportunities rather than catastrophes. This approach fosters a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as chances to learn and improve.
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Ditch the One-Size-Fits-All Approach
As I always say, acknowledge the uniqueness of each Product, team, and market, and allow for flexible, adaptable strategies. This might mean more decentralized decision-making and greater autonomy at lower levels. Every Product, team, and market is different. Companies need to recognize this and allow strategies to be as flexible and adaptable as the markets they are targeting.
Ditching the one-size-fits-all approach in a corporate setting is like abandoning a rigid, outdated map for a GPS that adapts to real-time changes in the landscape.
Not all Products are created equal?—?they have different target audiences, market conditions, and life cycles. A strategy that works wonders for one product might be completely ineffective for another. Companies need to craft tailor-made strategies for each Product, considering its unique attributes and the market it caters to. Just as products differ, so do teams. Each team has its own dynamics, strengths, weaknesses, and culture. Recognizing this means moving away from blanket policies and practices to approaches that leverage the specific strengths of each team. This could involve varied working styles, decision-making processes, or communication methods. Applying Agile as if reading from a recipe book equally to every team is a clear example of such a gross mistake as well.
On markets, they are as predictable as the weather?—?they’re not. They change constantly, influenced by cultural, economic, and technological factors. A strategy that’s successful in one market may not translate to another. Companies need to be adept at reading these market variations and adaptable enough to adjust their strategies accordingly. Adaptability and reactivity are a must in a business environment, everything must be engineered around this principle for long term success.
Again, centralised decision-making often leads to a bottleneck effect, where decisions are delayed as they climb up and down the corporate ladder. Again, decentralising decision-making can empower those at the lower levels, who are often closer to the Product and the customer, to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently. Granting more autonomy at lower levels also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. It encourages innovation and quick response to changing circumstances. Employees who feel their input and decisions have a direct impact are more engaged and motivated.
Constant feedback from all levels of the organisation is also crucial. It provides insights into what’s working and what’s not. This feedback should be used to continually adapt and refine strategies, ensuring that they remain relevant and effective.
In a global market, cultural sensitivity is key. Ditch the one-size-fits-it-all approach; what resonates in one culture may be irrelevant or even offensive in another. Strategies need to be adapted to fit the cultural context of each market, including consistent content creation with native-level cultural nuances.
Promote a Culture of Constant Learning
Again, create an environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities. Encourage teams to share their experiences and use them as lessons, building a culture that values learning over blame. Blame game is something CEOs us, not Product Managers. Instead of punishing mistakes, learn from them. A culture that values learning over blame-assigning is one where innovation thrives.
Promoting a culture of learning within an organization is like nurturing a garden?—?it requires patience, care, and a willingness to see value in both the blooms and the weeds. It’s about shifting the focus from fault-finding to insight-gathering. In many corporate cultures, mistakes are treated like the plague?—?to be avoided at all costs. This fear of failure stifles innovation and risk-taking. Instead, companies should reframe mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. It’s not about celebrating failure, but about extracting lessons from it. Just as a scientist learns as much from a failed experiment as a successful one, so can a business.
Remember that for people to openly share and learn from mistakes, they need to feel psychologically safe. This means creating an environment where employees feel comfortable taking risks and voicing their opinions without fear of humiliation or retribution. It’s about building trust and respect within the team. The leadership plays a crucial role in shaping this company’s culture. When leaders openly discuss their own mistakes and what they’ve learned from them, it sets a powerful precedent. It shows that it’s okay not to be perfect and that the focus should be on growth, continuous improvement and constant learning.
Allow employees the freedom to experiment and explore new ideas. This means giving them some leeway to deviate from the standard procedures in pursuit of innovation. It’s about balancing risk with potential reward.
Conclusion
Let’s strip it down to the bare bones: Product Management in today’s corporate jungle is a wild ride. Gone should be the days of navigating through a fog of jargon and empty buzzwords. It’s time for a revolution in clarity and purpose, where communication is as straightforward as a surgeon’s scalpel?—?sharp, precise, and no-nonsense.
We need to revolutionize customer engagement, transforming it from a tired monologue into a dynamic dialogue. This isn’t about ticking boxes on a feedback form; it’s about genuine interaction, where every customer’s voice contributes to the symphony of product evolution. Product Managers, deserve more than the glorified title of ‘cat herders.’ They need empowerment, the freedom to take calculated risks, and an environment that doesn’t just tolerate but celebrates failure as a stepping stone to success. This isn’t about coddling; it’s about recognizing the raw potential in every stumble.
Streamline those bloated processes; they’re as useful as a chocolate teapot. Cut through the bureaucratic red tape as if it were softened butter, not an enigmatic puzzle of corporate inefficiency. Encourage decision-making that’s decentralized, quick, and informed, not trapped in the labyrinth of corporate hierarchy. Set goals that inspire rather than exhaust, tailored to the unique strengths and challenges of each team. Foster a culture of continuous learning, where mistakes aren’t just tolerated but are viewed as the golden tickets to innovation and growth. Ditch the one-size-fits-all strategy. Adapt, evolve, and tailor your approach to the diverse tapestry of markets, Products, and teams. This is not about blindly following a map; it’s about navigating the shifting sands of the market with the agility of a desert fox.
In short, it’s time to reforge Product Management into a role that’s not just about surviving in the corporate wilderness but thriving in it, turning every challenge into an opportunity for growth, innovation, and success?—?let’s make Product Management count.
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