10 Core Product Management Lessons (a )

1. Not all good ideas are worth tackling now (or ever, even)

: But sometimes immediate action is required

ToDo: Listen. Acknowledge. Make decision heuristics visible. Revise them with new information.

2. Your teams capacity to act/focus is, and will always be, limited

: Treating every minute as precious erodes creativity

ToDo: Limit work in progress. Seek unnatural levels of focus.

3. Uncertainty signals opportunity

: Uncertainty can trigger anxiety/fear

ToDo: "Talk about uncertainty with certainty"

4. Non-linear/exponential/stochastic/non-normal/phase-shifting effects are everywhere

: Business cadence is structured linearly

ToDo: Introduce these dynamics gently w/models. It will take time

5. The days are long and the quarters/years are short

: Recency bias --when the days are long-- can lead you astray

ToDo: Keep multiple horizons in mind constantly

6. Alignment is ephemeral and must be constantly supported

: Forcing alignment can trigger premature convergence

ToDo: Seek coherence over alignment. Continuously

7. You will always be dancing up and down ""levels""

: Go high, you'll be asked to get more specific. Get specific...""high level""

ToDo: Visualize how things link/fit together (and keep time in mind see #5)

8. Influence is mostly art and only partially math/science

: Saying something is "art" can exclude others and add opacity to the situation

ToDo: Embrace different forms of advocacy/influence

9. There are many successful models of product management

: Someone in your org will want to copy X

ToDo: Make public your team's philosophy. Have a perspective. Not outsource to another company.

10. Small shifts in decision quality and decision velocity can have outsized effects

: Some decisions are really, really important

ToDo: Do regular decision reviews with cross-functional perspectives.