BizDev asks for wrong features. Sales gets in the way. Your boss overrules decisions. The team only wants to debate. They all just get in the way of progress.
In my earlier years, I worked directly for a start-up CEO in new product development and strategy. We worked one-on-one; and, through the weight of the CEO, simply did what needed to be done. What I hadn’t realized at the time was that while I was making good improvements and progress with the products, I could have been doing so much better.
Sure, in a vacuum, there are less debates, less roadblocks, less change. But, there is also less oxygen… critical in sparking better ideas and strategies.
At every opportunity, we product managers must seek to open up new communication channels, shed light on the decision making process, and bare ourselves and our products to critique. Through bringing all people together, product managers can foster constructive debates, tease out valuable perspectives, and incorporate everything into a more robust product plan.
What Product Management fortune cookies do you have to share?
Enjoy!
Jeremy Horn
The Product Guy
The Product Guy 