Posted by Before we start digging into how to build core product management competencies, I want to take a moment to get you ready to think with the growth mindset and how to apply it to your every-day job. This concept is explained in great detail in the book, Mindset by Carol Dweck. I sincerely hope you check it out to get deeper context into what I’m writing about today as this won’t be a book review post. I want to go a step further and help you use this so you can be ready to apply it to landing the PM role and doing it well.
Whether you grab the book or google it (there are great summaries/ infographics out there), if you have any questions on the topics covered or are interested in hearing more about the growth mindset, let me know in the comments!
Your mindset is the secret sauce
Shipping isn’t the end of development – It’s just the beginning of another cycle.
Product management isn’t about taking a set of known steps that are sure to help you and your product succeed against all odds. It isn’t about gaining subject matter expertise and then always thinking you’re right. And yet, we see PMs that have fallen into the trap of seeking certainty of success by following a rigorous process that an organization may require in order to “develop at scale safely“. They are then validated by the organization when they’ve followed all the steps, checked all the boxes, and shipped a product increment. Shipping isn’t the end of development – It’s just the beginning of another cycle. Once you grasp that concept and are always ready to jump for the bigger challenge, the next or deeper problem, and take a bigger risk for a higher payoff – that’s when you really start developing a product that has a chance to be a success. And regardless of what side of the spectrum you’re on here – it’s all in your head.
Shipping does get you some sweet high fives though
Here’s the thing: shipping a product increment feels great. Solving a customer problem feels really great. Stumbling through a few failures, learning from them, and then fixing a really challenging problem – that feels awesome. The problem with the former is in some organizations, simply shipping may be the success criteria you, your boss, and their boss are given. And after a few years of having said success criteria, the following happens:
- Optimization of effort vs value – people minimize their efforts while getting maximum value. Essentially, you do the least amount of work you need to in order to get the most value you’re willing to work for.
- Seeing certainty over challenges – You want that sweet, sweet high five when your product ships. It feels good! I get it. However, once you’re in the habit of finding success this way, you stumble hard when facing a new challenge.
- You buckle under pressure – Ever get that knot in your stomach once you know you screwed something up? It’s a terrible feeling to think you’re about to let yourself or others down. But seeking growth in that moment by learning from it is what really counts. If you’re in it for the high-fives alone, you better hope it’s easy to get by doing just the minimum “right things”, but don’t expect any growth out of it.
The worst outcome I’ve seen from an organization run this way is when simply shipping and moving on leads to promotions. We’ll dig into that in a separate series that isn’t focused on landing you the job. This is a problem for future you!
Product management in games and tech isn’t for those with a fixed mindset. You must grow.
So here’s how we focus on growth
If you want to go on this journey to land a PM role and really do well at it, I’m going to have to demand a few things out of you. These are non-negotiables if you want to have the right mindset to grow yourself, become an effective leader, and a good product manager. Product management in games and tech isn’t for those with a fixed mindset. You must grow.
In this exercise, think of me as your manager before you land the job. I’m laying out expectations for you and giving you clarity and context behind what each of these mean. It’s up to you to prove that you have what it takes. If you’re not here today – that’s totally fine and normal. Remember, we’re on a journey of growth.
I want you to prioritize learning over being right
Whether you’re trying to land the job or fresh in a new position, it may feel like you have to have an answer when people ask you questions – especially when it’s about the product. Let’s clarify here:(1) You don’t have to have an answer on the spot and (2) even if you do, seek alternative perspectives, data, and opinions.
Let’s say you fall into the trap of always having to be right. You will eventually land yourself in a position where you inadvertently sign yourself and your team up for work you haven’t validated the viability, feasibility, and desirability of. You should aim to learn by gathering this data and making an informed decision rather than directing others based on a sense of having the “best” answer. It will make you a better product manager, a team leader, and an open collaborator. Once you do this, the weight of always feeling like you have to have an answer will be off of your shoulders and replaced by a more manageable weight of going and finding the best answer.
I want you to seek challenges rather than certain outcomes
Don’t get me wrong with this one. You do want to formulate a strategy and plan in a way that offers a certain level of…well, certainty. However, the problem with seeking certainty up front is it stops the creative process not only for you, but for your designers and engineers.
Offering flexibility for yourself and your team up front allows you to take risks and find challenging opportunities that offer better outcomes. Notice the difference? I’m telling you to find the better outcome rather than the safe one. This is incredibly general of course, but we’re talking about a mindset – not a law. Don’t forget critical thinking. Where this part of the mindset comes in handy is in decision making.
When your team comes to you asking whether you’d like to go route A or B in a solution, what do you think about first? I hope it’s the user. In that sense, are you willing to take a risk to offer the user a better outcome vs taking less risk and finding certainty in a safe outcome.
All this is said with the acknowledgement that there is value to both certainty and challenges. If you want to optimize for growth, take the challenging path.
I want you to see the potential rather than the current state
The worst phrase I hear from someone that’s stuck in a fixed mindset is, “well, there’s nothing I can do about that”. Let’s scope this into the realm of development – I’m not talking about personal life situations. If you feel you’re completely blocked on a challenge that’s in front of you, gather data that supports your claim towards the ability or inability to meet your goals. Giving up before you do that is the trap of a fixed mindset.
If it were all about limitations, you wouldn’t be here to manage product development.
I’m not asking you to shift from being a realist to an optimist. This is a common response I receive when sharing this concept as feedback or advice. Remember, I’m asking you to gather data and make an informed observation of your situation. Whether you’re considering a product capability, a user scenario, or a limitation of tech, product, and design, the potential is more important than current limitations. If it were all about limitations, you wouldn’t be here to manage product development.
For those getting ready for product interviews, this is a critical piece of the growth mindset that will help interviewers determine whether you’ll come in and be ready to manage change and challenge the norm or not. Really dig into this concept and practice on finding potential solutions to places you feel stuck. It’s not limited to the product space either.
Ever answer a question in an interview asking about a time that you failed? How about the follow-up on what you would change? That’s a direct check against your ability to find potential vs only looking at the current state and limitations. That worst answer here is, “I wouldn’t change anything”. Even if it’s an answer around a success, if you’re asked what you would change if anything – have alternative paths to explore at all times.
Well, that’s a lot to focus on
I never said this would be easy. I said I’d give you step-by-step guides. So far, in this series we’ve talked about chartering a path, crushing our goals, and now, establishing a growth mindset. This is all so you have a steady and focused mind as you start to learn what you will be expected to do as a PM. Many start at the what stage by taking classes or shadowing other PMs in their current role. This is great experience of course, but they often miss out on how a good PM thinks.
It takes time to evolve how we think. I can always teach you how to execute on various PM development processes and tasks, but it’s a complex space to teach you how to think to set yourself up for optimizing learning and growth. And that’s what we’ll continue to do.
See you next time, and as always GL HF!