Stoicism & Product Management: Handling Hurdles the Right Way
Let's try to remove all hurdles.
Dive into Stoicism and you'll find a golden nugget: no good news, no bad news, just news. It's all about your reaction to what you can't control. This resonates deeply with the ever-evolving world of product management.
Our mantra should revolve around being proactive, removing hurdles before they even surface. But, as any seasoned pro knows, life, much like feature development, isn’t always predictable. When an unexpected hurdle arises, Stoicism teaches us a valuable lesson: skip the blame game, sideline the ego, and dive right in. If you overlooked a potential roadblock, course-correct rapidly and re-orient your compass. These things happen to you, your co-creators, and your leaders - we are all human; push forward with the next best action that can help resolve and remove the hurdle.
In this edition, we'll delve into how to stay steps ahead in this intricate dance of anticipation and reaction.
Prepare so you can be proactive. When that fails (and it will!)… No good news, no bad news, just news. It’s all about your reaction
1. Navigating "The What" Hurdles
Kick-offs for new projects can be tricky. Knowing your audience is the first step. While your UX and Development co-creators expect you to answer the nitty-gritty "what" questions, if leadership in the respective areas of UX or DEV is looking for assurance. They're curious about the broader picture.
Are tech or design debts considered? Have future scalability challenges been tackled? Your role is to present to both your co-creators and leaders in the room. Remind leadership of the roadmap while showing your team you’re capable of addressing concerns before they arise. Ask for feedback to ensure a strong collaborative approach to the decision making.
Refinements, however, are a different ballgame. A silent team isn’t always a good sign. No questions could signal a highly-engaged, proactive team or... well, an uninvolved one. In cases of the latter, a revisit to the Product Protégé Guide might be in order (especially page 202).
Some quick tips for a better refinement session with your co-creators
Start by providing a brief overview of what you aim to achieve in the session. Set clear objectives so everyone knows what to expect.
Consider past challenges and projects and use that during refinement to provide an analogy of what you are asking for.
Use open-ended questions to engage everyone and encourage collaborative problem-solving. Even if you know the answer, posing questions can spark invaluable discussions and uncover considerations you might not have thought about.
Ensure that the most crucial aspects of the refinement are discussed first. This way, even if time runs out, the primary concerns have been addressed.
Capture decisions, open questions, and action items. This serves as a record and ensures everyone is on the same page post-refinement.
Regularly circle back to how the discussed points impact the end-user. It keeps the team grounded in the purpose of the refinement: delivering value to the user.
As a product manager, you have a vision, but being receptive to suggestions from the team can lead to more refined and efficient solutions.
Refinement sessions can easily extend beyond the allotted time. Regularly check in on the time and adjust the discussion pace accordingly.
Be wary of ideas or suggestions that might expand the scope of the sprint or project. While they might be valuable, consider if they should be addressed now or captured for future discussions.
Conclude the session by reiterating decisions made, action items, and the responsible parties. This clarity can prevent ambiguity and ensure the team progresses smoothly post-refinement.
After the refinement, send out a summary or minutes of the meeting to all attendees. This serves as a reference and helps in keeping everyone aligned.
2. Overcoming "The Why" Hurdles
For the top brass, it's all about the "Executive Summary." They’re less concerned with the intricacies and more with the overarching narrative. Your challenge? Distill a 20-slide deck into a singular, compelling message. The 'Why' is vital. Ground your arguments in the "King KPIs" – Revenue, Net Promoter Scores, Conversion. Have your data-backed assumptions at the ready for those deep-dive questions (if they come!).
And don't forget about your immediate team. Consistently reiterate the strategy. It fosters alignment and reminds everyone of the bigger picture.
A pro-tip from my playbook? Kickstart every other stand-up with a quick strategy refresher.
Some quick tips for a embedding your vision and strategy into every day meetings
Start with a Reminder: Begin meetings with a brief refresher of the team’s vision and strategy. This ensures that everyone is consistently aligned.
Tie Tasks to Strategy: Whenever you discuss tasks or projects, always relate them back to how they fit within the broader vision or strategy.
Visual Aids: Use diagrams or charts that showcase the strategy. This can be especially useful in roadmap sessions. Visual aids make abstract concepts tangible and easier to digest.
Share Success Stories: Celebrate when a task or project aligns well with and advances the strategy. Use real-life examples in meetings to demonstrate the strategy in action.
Question Alignment: In 1:1s or refinements, always ask, "In what ways does this align with our vision/strategy?" This encourages team members to consistently think in strategic terms.
Refine Strategy, if Needed: Use feedback from stand-ups and other meetings to assess if the strategy needs any tweaks. Being agile in approach ensures the strategy remains relevant. When someone’s feedback helps craft the strategy in a better way - give them full kudos, loudly.
Deep Dive in Roadmap Sessions: Dedicate a portion of roadmap sessions to evaluate how planned initiatives advance the overarching strategy. Tie roadmap items back to the themes and pillars of the strategy.
Emphasize the 'Why' in Stand-Ups: While discussing what everyone's working on, briefly touch upon why it's important in the larger strategic context.
Encourage Team Input: During meetings, ask team members for their perspective on how daily tasks align with the vision and strategy. This fosters a strategic mindset across the team. And if you find activities do not align, then why are you doing them?
Consistent Language: Use consistent terms and phrases related to the strategy across all meetings. This repetition reinforces its importance and keeps it top of mind.
Close with Reflection: End meetings with a quick reflection on how the discussions and decisions taken align with the vision and strategy. This reiterates the importance of staying on course.
Please note: I recognize the above can be a lot of repetition, and I don’t think what I’m saying is to do this in every meeting - but when the opportunity is there, it’s imperative that you do provide that reminder as it grounds the whole team and gives a sense of ownership.
3. Addressing "The How" Hurdles
While the 'What' and 'Why' are the domains of product management, influencing the 'How' is vital too. Remember past projects, challenges, and victories. Use these experiences to guide, inspire, and sometimes question your co-creators when they are dealing with a hurdle in how to design a feature component or how do develop a specific aspect. Be the one to initiate conversations, probe with open-ended queries, and more importantly, provide an environment where innovation flourishes.
Remember - your company pays a lot of money for the co-creators that are the experts. Remind them they are the experts and your just trying to understand or question from a more simple position. This can help your co-creators understand you are trying to help and not solve for them.
If a teammate's stuck, jump in. Offer assistance, capture next steps, and remind them of their strengths. If your Scrum Master isn't stepping up, guess what? It's your show now.
4. Forecasting "The When" Hurdles
Timelines can be tricky. It’s your job to strike a balance between realistic forecasts and not pressuring your team. Understand the process inside out so you can explain it when someone asks, "Can we go faster?" Offer options, but also remind them of why processes exist: quality assurance.
And, a nugget from my experience? Stay vague on long-term dates. Market dynamics change, as do processes, team strengths, and approaches. Always be agile, and remember to manage expectations.
I recall being asked to deliver faster and mentioning some options we had but that they came at a cost. Either we don’t test the feature in every environment before we launch or we have product managers help test; but then understand a delay in their day to day work and impact to other project timelines. Remember, whatever the decision - you’ve provided the inputs needed to make that decision, then push forward.
In Closing...
Being a product manager isn’t just about crafting user stories or setting and blowing off the dust of the vision and strategy playbook every month or so. It’s about wearing many hats, from strategic thinker to crisis manager. Always be ready to pivot, always be prepared to face challenges head-on. Let's journey together, preempting challenges and managing them with Stoic resilience when they do crop up.
Keep honing those skills, and soon you'll be the product protegé everyone talks about. Till next week!