Focus Is About Saying No

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focus, ideas, priorities, requests, steve jobs

As Product Management leaders, enhancement requests come at us from all directions. But are all requests equal?  And do customer requests supersede what is already on the roadmap? As your products become more mature and more complex, prioritization becomes more critical. Several coalescing experiences over the past week reminded me the answer isn’t always easy.

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”

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consumer experience, courage, digital transformation, disruption, expectations, innovation, risk

The post title is a quote from Mario Andretti. I assume most know who Mario Andretti is, but for those who may not he is one of the most successful racing drivers in history (Formula One, Indy car, and NASCAR).  I’ve been in a NASCAR going 180 mph … I did not feel under control .. and I wasn’t even driving!  But we shouldn’t miss the point of the quote … success sometimes means making decisions that include risk and certainly may require courage.

What Appears To Be Isn’t Always What Is

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framing, perspective, problem solving, problem statement, strategy

Perspective. If you were to look up the definition and focus on the non-artistic aspect of the meaning, you would find descriptions like ‘the facts known to one … the faculty of seeing all the relevant data … a mental view or prospect … understanding from a certain point of view’. And the cold hard truth is, whether specific to a certain situation, or due to a lack of maturity or experience, we don’t always have it.

If you have children (especially teenagers) or if you remember your own childhood (especially the teenage years) you understand exactly what I mean. What appears to be isn’t always what is.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel & New Year Perspectives

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balance, Blind-Spots, Competency, distractions, Goals, intentional, journey, resolution, time management

Taking stock towards the end/beginning of a year is always a good idea.  I had every intention of doing this prior to taking some vacation, but unfortunately the dreaded holiday bug caught up with me this year and laid me out for the better part of a week.

So, a bit later than expected, but as we enter 2018 here are some thoughts related to the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, a few thought provoking questions to be considered, and a re-share of some New Year’s Resolutions for Product Management Leaders.  Enjoy!