Where Does Leadership Begin and End?

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accountability, change, character, courage, integrity, proactive, responsibility, results, virtue

Where does leadership begin and end? Is it intrinsically tied to walking into and out of our work doors every day (either literally or virtually)?  Or does it extend beyond the work aspects of our lives into the core being of who we are?  Many years ago I had the privilege of participating in a leadership training curriculum that guided me to the conclusion for me personally … it is the latter.  For example, my role as a leader definitely did not stop walking out of the work door after I became a parent!

Honestly, it shouldn’t shock any of us the same leadership characteristics which help us in our roles as Product Management Leaders transfer quite nicely to our roles in family (spouse, father, etc) or in our community (PTA, Homeowners, volunteering, etc).

Doing Things Right? Or Doing the Right Things?

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problem solving, right things, understanding, why

Problem solving.  Chances are if I were to query Product Management leaders, a majority would intimate they were good at it. After all, it is one of the fundamental premises of the role, isn’t it?  There generally is no shortage of challenges, frequently on a daily basis, were input is needed, decisions are necessary, and direction is given.

And yet as this HBR article Are You Solving the Right Problems? points out 85% of C-level executives feel their organizations are bad at it.  How could the problem of problem solving be a problem in and of itself?

My Take on Good/Bad Product Manager

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competition, customers, execution, Goals, integrity, intentional, numbers, opportunities, priorities, proactive, problems, reporting, responsibility, strategic, tactical, trends, value proposition, vision, why

Several weeks ago during one of our planning sessions, my boss referred to the Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager post by Ben Horowitz.  While it has taken me awhile to get around to reading it, I am sure glad I did.  Love, love, love the context of the article … and disagree with the opening statement about possibly not being relevant today and/or outdated.

The underlying premise and ideas behind what is shared are, in my opinion, timeless. If you are interested in being a successful leader in product management, this is where you need to start!