Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

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challenge, encouragement, excellence, habits, intentional, introvert, support, time, values, vision

The emphasis of my post last week was largely about the correlation between self-awareness and introversion.  I used many sources to explore introversion, and included one of the elements called out in the book The 100X Leader …  being self-aware and responsive.

I ended the post from last week with this thought, and it is exactly where I want to pick up again as we continue to further explore points from the book.

To find success, introverts must learn to augment their natural abilities with a strategic dose of extroversion.

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We Never Graduate from the School of Self-Awareness

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intentional, introvert, responsive, self-awareness

If you were to search on the word introvert, you would likely get back a description something like “a shy, reticent person”.  Unfortunately, simple dictionary definitions like this one led me to a misconception of what an introvert really was.  In fact, looking just a bit further down the search results you would see the comment “an introvert may appear to be shy to others, but this is not necessarily an accurate label.”

Why the focus here today? Two recent reads peaked my interest.  The first is this wonderful Forbes article from CEO Chris Myers.  The second comes from a book I just finished reading The 100X Leader. In both cases, the authors focus on self-awareness and leadership.  Mashing comments from the two sources together …

The hallmark of a good leader is they are self-aware and responsive … leaders who are self-aware and introverted are typically better equipped to listen and empathize with the people with whom they interact.

The implication here is a correlation between self-awareness and introversion I found intriguing, and wanted to explore further.

NYR, FYI, CYA – Thoughts on Email Etiquette

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collaboration, email etiquette, transparency

As part of the exercise culminating in my Leadership Choices post a few weeks ago, I was able to examine samples from other leaders. What was interesting about the exercise was being able to see I hadn’t thought of.  Like including pet peeves.

Several weeks ago, I stumbled upon an article which really resonated with me and I tucked it away for future reference.  Ironically the topic of the article came up last week during one of our senior leader team meetings.  As I’ve said in the past, pay attention to when coincidences converge.  As such, it is time to share a few thoughts about email etiquette and a few items on my pet peeve list.  Enjoy.

Leadership Choices

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accountability, courage, ethical, expectations, forgiveness, gratitude, humility, influence, integrity, leadership, responsibility, servant leadership, vision, wisdom

A few months ago, the President of our Business unit challenged his leadership team to define our leadership philosophy.  If we were to explain to peers or the people who worked for us what we believed or expected … what would we say?

A thought provoking question for sure.  If you have read my blog for very long, you will have noted that I believe whether intentionally chosen, or inadvertently thrust upon them, people serving the Product Management role are called to be leaders.  I have spent the better part of 20+ years as a student of both Product Management and Leadership, and through my journey the following is what I have come to believe and what those working for me should expect of me.

Thoughts from Google Cloud Next

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closed, cloud, competition, Google, inter-operable, open, proprietary, smartest

It has been just over a year since the last time I was reminded of a simple principle. Last March, it was the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit.  This year, it was the Google Cloud Next event.  The principle is this … if you are the smartest person in the room, find another room.  I was most certainly in a different room, and somewhat overwhelmed by what I experienced. But as a Product Management leader, it is an experience I find necessary and useful from time to time.

Roughly 30,000 people … some of the leading technical minds of our era … topics such as the launch of Google Anthos (their multi-cloud capabilities), Containers, Kubernetes, Redis/NoSQL, and so much more I can only begin to understand at a foundational level.  So why does a Product guy even subject himself to Analytic Summits and Cloud Events? Simple answer, really.

So, What’s Your Next Move?

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analysis, competition, competitive, proactive, reactive, so what, story telling

It has been many years, but when I first set out on this blogging journey I made the assertion that as Product Management leaders, having the right “story” is absolutely essential.  At the time I was focused on such elements as positioning or messaging, but of late I have been reminded even within areas such as strategic planning and even competitive intelligence, how you frame the story is critically important.  We are indeed called to be Master Storytellers, and today I want to key in on one component most stories have … the villain (competition).

Competitive intelligence should not be reduced to a Google searches where you are abstracting news articles; it should not be a thick volume of facts and figures; and it certainly should not be a one-time effort.  Competitive intelligence should be able to answer the question: What will my competition do next?

Similar Story, Different Perspectives

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farmer, growth, hunter, kickoff, mountains, perspective, valleys

The Rubin’s vase illusion is something most of us have been exposed to at some point in our lives.  I love these types of images because they challenge our visual perception and memory … sometimes what you see isn’t as simple as what you first perceive.  What did you see the first time you encountered it, vase or face?  How long until you were able to perceive both?  This is a simplistic 2D example, but have you ever looked at some of the more abstract 3D versions?

I know along the journey of my professional career, there have been many instances where this lesson has come into play.  Perception isn’t always reality … there are two sides to the coin … etc.  Such was the case this week as I was sitting at our Sales & Account Management kickoff meeting listening to one of our senior sales executives share a story about mountains and valleys.

Interpret. Influence. Inform.

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competition, consumer experience, customer, influence, inform, interpret, m&a, preparation, purpose, roadmap, strategic planning, three simple questions, vision

Last October, the idea of ‘always start at the end before you begin‘ had captured my attention. Begin with the end in mind … align towards a common vision (destination) … strive towards a common purpose. I concluded the post with this point … as Product Management leaders I don’t think we can afford to not have the end in mind.  But the obvious question is how do you get a clear picture of the end?

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. – Steven Covey

The Gap Between the Average and the Exceptional

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align, courage, education, excellence, failure, honesty, inspire, integrity, learn, motivate, numbers, purpose, relationships, values, vision

Another New Year, which means a clean slate with new goals and results to strive for.  And it also means another kickoff meeting to prepare for.  Two years ago, I posted this piece about how to use kickoff meetings as an opportunity to Align, Educate and Motivate. Check it out for helpful tips on presentation basics, storytelling & vision casting, common kickoff mistakes, and much more.

And while the kickoff is top of mind this morning, it isn’t necessarily the topic I want to cover.  You see, while registering for this years event there were several questions posed in the sign up form as input for our executives leading into the meetings.  One in particular captured my attention …

How would you define excellence?

Transitions, Mirrors & Growth

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change, circumstanances, coaching, crystal balls, encouragement, growth, intentional, mirrors, passion, purpose, reflection, sharp objects, skills, transition

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven

Admittedly, I’m reusing the intro to a previous post about change … but once again it is totally applicable. Whether you attribute this quote to the song from the mid 1960s from The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn!), or go even further back to its original source from King Solomon, the context implies a sense of change … over the course of time, things are not going to stay the same.

Looking back over the course of my career, I can certainly see the truth in this. And I know I’m not the only one.  Think about it, (and in sticking with the theme of the song) haven’t you experienced …

• jobs you’ve enjoyed, and jobs you’ve endured
• leaders you’ve admired, and those you’ve disdained
• teams with chemistry, and teams with dysfunction
• projects that have succeeded, and projects that failed

The reality is change is neither good nor bad necessarily … it just is.