Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders
— Tom Peters
Summary
Product Managers often don’t think enough about leadership as a distinct skill set; instead they constrain it to stakeholder management, e.g. managing up, down, across the org. I believe leadership is central to a Product Manager’s role. Simply put, leadership in product requires 1) clarity in where the product needs to be, 2) honesty in where the product is today, and 3) a plan and the inspiration to close the gap.
For me, a former Marine, leadership takes added meaning. I found myself placed into leadership positions early in life and those experiences continue to shape my approach to leading others. Leadership requires deep human connections to your people. This 2017 essay by Capt Worley does a great job communicating the intensity of those connections: https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/suQq4LP_luD287e1.
Attributes
1. Self Aware
Knows own strengths and weaknesses, centered, transparent, humble, authentic, and driven by values.
References
- 42 Effects You Should Know: Part 1 — 42courses.com
- Interesting Psychological Phenomena: The Pratfall Effect – Brescia University – Owensboro, Kentucky
Quotes
- “A leader’s number one responsibility is to define reality — General James Mattis
- It is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in. — Ishmael, chapter 1, Moby Dick
2. Inspirational
Inspires and motivates others, tells a compelling product story & vision with conviction, connects product goals to each person on the team
References
Quotes
- “Leaders are dealers in hope” — Napolean
- “As a leader, every time you’re talking, you have to be talking values” — General James Mattis
- “Leadership means reaching the souls of your troops” — General James Mattis
3. Compassionate
Cares deeply and serves the needs of the team, objectively assess situations, knows when to take charge, when to delegate, and how to grow new leaders
From The First Principles of Product Management
4. Gets Things Done
Shows up, seeks responsibility, makes sound and timely decisions, bias for action and sets the pace, creates a shared sense of purpose throughout team
Organizing the work — while not getting lost in the sauce
- Leaders as Decision Architects
- Cascading OKRs vs. aligning OKRs
- Cascading OKRs at scale
- Ringelmann effect - keep your teams small
Additional reading
- https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/suE4ZLL_lu4YtUbU
- https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suL4Lkq6
Quotes
- Your calendar never lies about what really is most important to you. — Michael Bungay Stanier, Zen Habits
5. Thrives in Ambiguity & Chaos
Unafraid to take on challenges and make hard decisions with incomplete information, mitigates risks, embraces ambiguity and increases clarity.
Additional reading
References
- [Facilitator Guide] Team Values
- https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1317316211844083713?s=09
- https://www.reforge.com/blog/crossing-the-canyon-product-manager-to-product-leader?s=09
- [Yow! 2019] 3 insights from 4 years at Spotify
- Is Being a ‘T-shaped’ Person Still Enough?
- What is “autonomy” in the workplace context? | by Jason Yip | Medium
Leadership principles