Making Informed Decisions, and How Opinions Influence Things

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decision making, influence, informed decision, opinion

Influence [in-floo-uh ns]
noun
1. the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others
2. the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others

How many times has your opinion of something been swayed before you’ve experienced it yourself? It may have been a food that your sibling convinced you early on was disgusting, so you never ate it as a kid only to discover it was wonderful later in life.  Or maybe a movie that the critics bashed, but you thoroughly enjoyed.  Or perhaps an artist you judged before understanding their motives, their story.

How I Find Renewed Strength Amidst the Chaos

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competition, context, decision making, influence, passion, status, strategy, struggles, vision

It always fascinates me to get inside the heads of other product managers.  I love exploring how they think, how they approach various scenarios, but most importantly seeing that most of the struggles we all face on a day-in/day-out basis are common.

This morning I was reading an article titled Top Hacks … about Todd Jackson, a PM that has worked at Google and Facebook and now runs his own company.  In reading stories like the ones in the article, and understanding the various elements of the Product Management role he also had to deal with, I walk away with renewed energy and passion for ‘what could be’ within my own domain… I walk away with the strength and confidence to continue on despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges that continue to pop up … I am reminded of why I love this role so much!

3ish Things You Maybe Didn’t Know about the Product Manager Role

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authority, CEO, change, control, leadership, matrix, ownership, P&L, responsibility, roadmap, strategy, success

Type in Product Management Role in Google, and you will find no shortage of articles, blog posts, Slideshare presentations or the like that describe what a product manager does.  I’ve even contributed to a few of those over the past year and a half.

And while there are many perspectives offered … some I subscribe to, others not so much … what I was pondering this morning was that there is often a side to the Product Management role folks don’t talk about.

So, let’s explore 3 of the not-so-glamorous aspects of the Product Management role … and please, feel free to comment and/or add others where you see fit …

Make them Yearn for the Sea!

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disney, imagine, innovate, needs-driven, vision, yearn

 Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison

I remember reading about Walt Disney a couple of years ago … before it became the well-oiled machine it is today … before the theme parks … before the empire.

The reality is that any prosperity Walt Disney had been enjoying relative to the animated film business he had masterminded in the 1920s/30s began to erode during World War II due to the time and labor-intensive nature of the work.  His business was beginning to fail.

Disney could not have foreseen that the war would last 6 years, but he did acknowledge that he couldn’t keep travelling the same path and expect the same successful results. He envisioned something different … something few others understood … something bigger than merely film as the basis for family entertainment.

Looking for ‘Good’ Leadership

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accountability, hard decisions, legacy, ownership, sacrifice, servant leadership, success, vision

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people -Nelson Mandela

This morning I was thinking about contrasts in leadership styles …about how ‘success’ is measured differently depending on the style you choose.  For example, if your definition of success is measured by titles, recognition, or personal achievements it will look very different that if your definition of success is measured by the legacy that you leave.

Let that sink in for a moment, and think about leaders you admire who left a lasting legacy. Looking back, was it their personal interests that were served?  Or was it the interest of others?

Whether you have a religions affinity or not, let’s take a look at a historical example for Good Friday that I feel plays out nicely with this theme.

I Understand, but I Still Don’t Like It!

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agile, critical thinking, essential, must-have, priorities, Technical Debt

Doing things the quick and dirty way sets us up with a technical debt, which is similar to a financial debt. Like a financial debt, the technical debt incurs interest payments, which come in the form of the extra effort that we have to do in future development because of the quick and dirty design choice.

Wonderful quote and perspective provided in one of the many Product Management blogs I follow, this time a post titled The Broken Windows Theory of Technical Debt in the Mind the Product blog. And I understand all too well the perspective from both sides of the equation.

As a Developer

I recall early in my career when I was coding the UI for a massive project that had to be delivered in what I thought were unrealistic time-frames. My colleagues and I were having the discussion about being able to deliver fast/cheap, but low on quality … or with quality but perhaps a longer delivery cycle. But not necessarily both.

Given the importance of the project, as well as the constraints the team was place under, I took a few short-cuts.  Nothing drastic, mind you … just a few hard coded definitions in an otherwise table-driven environment.

I delivered my portion of the project on time, on scope, AND without bugs!  But looking back, I did deliver it with technical debt that somebody had to go back and fix.

As a Product Manager

Those types of little decisions in the moment now drive me nuts as a business owner! While I can empathize  with developers who feel the need to deliver “quick and dirty”, it doesn’t make it any easier to digest when it comes to the next release and I am having to sacrifice capacity because of technical debt!

Oh and by the way, I am a believer in Agile, but following it shouldn’t come at the expense of other good product management practices (i.e. – what is expected from you as a Product Manager hasn’t changed just because the development methodology has), nor should Agile be used as an excuse for delivering sub-standard code (i.e. – when I say MVP, it doesn’t mean it’s OK to sacrifice functionality for the sake of expediency).

Here’s the reality … we think we can make up for the technical debt after the stress of this particular project is done … but the next priority project is just around the corner, and chances are it is just as important as the previous one … meaning getting back to that nothing drastic decision will not be as easy as I thought back then!