The Snippet is a Weekly Newsletter on Product Management for aspiring Product Leaders.
A few years ago, Rachna and I became parents to a baby girl and life has never been the same again. It has been such a joy watching our daughter grow, from a squishy human being into a little lady with a personality of her own.
Looking back, time seems to have almost just flown by, but then so much has happened. Starting with those numerous night-outs as new parents, nightly feeding sessions, not knowing how to soothe a crying baby (and feeling miserable about it), and then finally adjusting to our new sleep-deprived schedules — being a parent is hard work!
And when you think you have it all figured out, your little one brings out a whole new set of emotions in you that you never knew existed. Like dropping her off for her first day at school. It was heartbreaking to see her teary-eyed as she waved back at us from her classroom, but it was also an important milestone for her parents, teary-eyed themselves, but keeping their game face on.
Becoming a parent has had a tremendous impact on the way I approach things at work in general, and product leadership in particular. My experience helping to raise our little one has bestowed much clarity upon what really matters and what really doesn't — both in life as well as when bringing a product to market.
And one of the most important ingredients for both is love.
You see, our lifespans are limited, and the times we spend with our loved ones even more so. What matters is that you spend every moment of your life so as to maximize outcomes.
If you’re at home, maximize experiences and memories with your loved ones. When building a product, maximize the chances that it will succeed. And in both these cases, love is the key.
Raising a child is hard work, but what makes it a wonderful experience is the love that binds the parent-child relationship. Love fuels everything you do as a parent to ensure your baby gets all that they need to grow up happy and healthy. It fuels the extra energy you muster (despite having a long day at work) to hold your baby in your arms when they are up crying in the middle of the night.
Similarily, Transforming an idea into a product that people can use also requires tremendous hard work. But the truly great products that change the world have another ingredient in addition to hard work.
They are born out of teams that not only have a tremendous focus on the vision, but that also share a resolute mutual trust helping them fight against all odds and build a winning product. What else can make strangers stick together for years to build something out of nothing?
Product leaders must look to leverage the power of love and human connections to lead product teams and build incredible products. You must be somebody that absolutely loves working with other people and that is passionate about motivating them to achieve amazing outcomes.
Unfortunately, these attributes are underrated in management theories and formal product leadership principles, but if you look around, some of the most charismatic leaders of our time understand and leverage the power of human connections to tell a story and create value.
The Snippet is a Weekly Newsletter on Product Management for aspiring Product Leaders.
Want to chat? I am on Twitter!
Looking for previous posts? you can find them here.