Product Jitters: Finding Your Calm in the PM Chaos
I’ve made a basic list of what I think is required to be a good PM. If you are interested there’s a great quote from “The Hard Things About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz that goes into detail about what makes a good PM but here’s my take and I added a little extra flair on what gives someone with Anxiety that extra edge labeled with the 🧠. I got nothing but love for all of you! Stay spicy my friends 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Customer-Centricity:
🧠 Heightened Empathy: Anxiety can make you more attuned to others' feelings. This can enhance empathy towards users, allowing you to better understand their needs and frustrations.
Understand your users' needs, wants, and pains.
Constantly engage in user research and user testing.
Champion the user's voice in the decision-making process.
Technical Proficiency:
🧠 Attention to Detail: Anxious minds often scrutinize details others might overlook. This can be beneficial when reviewing technical specifications or catching potential bugs.
Have a grasp of the technologies that power your product.
Work effectively with engineering teams, understanding their challenges and constraints.
Stay updated with tech trends relevant to your product space.
Business Acumen:
🧠 Risk Aversion: Anxious individuals are often more risk-aware. This can lead to more thorough market research and strategic planning, ensuring that potential pitfalls are anticipated and mitigated.
Understand the business model, market dynamics, and industry trends.
Make decisions that drive ROI and align with the company's strategic objectives.
Analyze data to inform decisions and measure outcomes.
Leadership & Influence:
🧠 Considerate Leadership: Anxiety can lead to more considerate and understanding leadership, as there’s often an innate desire to ensure everyone feels heard and valued.
Lead without authority: inspire, motivate, and guide cross-functional teams without direct control.
Resolve conflicts and navigate organizational politics.
Build and nurture relationships with stakeholders across departments.
Communication:
🧠 Over-preparation: The fear of being caught off guard might lead to over-preparation, ensuring that all communications are clear, comprehensive, and anticipate questions.
Articulate the product vision, strategy, and roadmaps to a diverse audience.
Listen actively to feedback from customers, stakeholders, and team members.
Provide clear specifications, feedback, and guidance.
Decision Making:
🧠 Anticipation of Outcomes: An anxious mindset often plays out various scenarios. This can help in anticipating different outcomes of a decision, leading to more comprehensive contingency planning.
Prioritize features and tasks effectively using frameworks (e.g., RICE, value vs. effort).
Make informed decisions quickly, even with incomplete information.
Understand when to be data-driven and when to trust intuition.
Adaptability & Resilience:
🧠 Preparedness for Change: Constantly thinking about "what ifs" can prepare you for unforeseen changes, allowing for quicker adaptation.
Navigate the unpredictable nature of product development.
Be flexible in the face of changing requirements or market dynamics.
Learn from failures and continuously iterate.
Vision & Strategy:
🧠 Thoughtful Deliberation: Anxiety can lead to deeper contemplation, ensuring that the product vision and strategy have been thoroughly thought out and vetted.
Define and communicate a compelling product vision.
Develop and execute on product strategies that align with company goals.
Understand the long-term impact and implications of short-term decisions.
Ethical Responsibility:
🧠 Moral Compass: Anxiety about consequences can lead to a stronger moral compass, ensuring that decisions are ethical and consider the broader societal implications.
Consider the societal and individual impact of product decisions.
Protect user privacy and data security.
Prioritize fairness, inclusivity, and accessibility.
Continuous Learning & Curiosity:
🧠 Hunger for Reassurance: The desire for reassurance can lead to continuous learning and seeking out new information to validate decisions and strategies.
Stay updated with industry best practices and methodologies.
Actively seek feedback for personal growth.
Embrace a growth mindset, always looking for opportunities to learn and improve.
