Archive of the PRODUCTHEAD newsletter, a regular newsletter of product management goodness, curated by Jock Busuttil (@jockbu).
» The uncertainty of a problem should influence how we respond to it
» Misdiagnosis of a problem can compound it
» We frame our solutions through the lens of our social predisposition
» Wicked problems can only be addressed by collaboration between different social types
» The only thing you can truly control in life is yourself
» Securing buy-in is meaningless if you let people go back on their agreement without challenge
» At C-level, focus more on “what’s in it for you” and less on “here’s what I need”
» Get your strategy, priorities, risk-taking heuristics, and goals straight, and treat allocation as a hypothesis
» Failure to adapt and iterate on team structures and processes will result in your strongest product people leaving
» Accepting that an employee might thrive in another environment is accepting that you (as their manager) could have done a better job
» Vocal self-confidence in the midst of uncertainty has become a desirable trait in leaders
» There must also be space for quieter, more contemplative leadership styles
» Shape Up is a collection of product development techniques that happen to work for Basecamp
» Just because they work in Basecamp’s context doesn’t mean they’ll work for yours
» OMG so problematic
» If context is continually changing, aim for incremental progress and let go of perfectionism
» Balance the need for action with the drive to understand both the problem and your biases
» Change is like a sledge stuck in the ice: hard to get moving, but easier to keep moving once freed
» Software is never ‘done’ even if you choose to ignore it for a while
» A ‘training wheels’ framework to get a team started should be treated as a throwaway experiment
» Clarity is not the same as certainty, although it helps you manage the uncertainty
» When negotiating, don’t pitch, listen
» To minimise residual influence, negotiate each point independently
» When trust is low, consider making a concession contingent on the other party reciprocating
» Conceding because you don’t want to upset the other party is a losing scenario
» Speak the language of C-level by focusing on revenue, customer benefits, and financials
» Without understanding, there can be no empathy
» Product managers need to be able to communicate with a wide range of people using different languages
» The worst product managers only speak in the language of product management
