Leave the Toothbrush
Executing a plan you no longer believe in is like dropping your toothbrush on the bathroom floor and using it anyways.
— Justin Kan (@justinkan) December 6, 2018
Plans. Every product manager loves them – we long to make them as detailed as possible, and include as much as we can to ensure that the output is as great as we had hoped. But in reality, plans change. Commitment to a plan should never outlive your faith in it – whether it’s a product roadmap, a wireframe, a written spec, or your launch plan. New data will almost certainly change your plans, so it’s better to listen, adjust, and leave that toothbrush on the floor.
Sometimes, Just Fake It
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” – Carrie Fisher pic.twitter.com/VCDiDUum2U
— Cassie Wallender (@Cassie) December 6, 2018
From one of the most delightful CPO Twitter feeds out there, this Star Wars advice seems to be a good follow up to the toothbrush. Sometimes, when you’re building a product, especially if you’re in hypergrowth mode, you’re not going to have all the information, and certainly may never actually feel confident. In those times, all you need is a meme reminder to just do it.
The Right Fit
I came across an article from Pluralsight’s CEO this week, and it’s an outlier for two reasons: one, it’s not actually from this week (but, in my defense, it’s only a couple of weeks old), and two, it’s not really about product management. But! I think that every hiring manager who’s trying to find a PM would benefit from the advice in this piece, which is all about hiring for commitment, not fit. Pluralsight recently launched a new set of values, all of which are crucial for successful product management:
- Accountable for excellence
- Be our word
- Committed to something bigger
- Create with possibility
- Seek context with intention
This particular set of values emphasizes empathy, curiosity, and resolution, all of which are values we highlighted in our Anatomy of a Product Manager. Do your company values reflect the kind of PM you’re trying to hire?
Box It In
You may have heard that we announced the ProductCraft Conference yesterday, and one of the speakers I’m particularly excited about is Jeetu Patel, the CPO of Box. And so, to celebrate Jeetu joining our lineup, I thought I’d highlight this awesome job on the Box product team. Just imagine when you’re asked “so what do you do?” and can answer I’m a FUTURE ARCHITECT. Mic drop.
