Three Mindsets that Can Cripple Product Managers

One thing I touched on in a recent talk, and has come up a few times recently, is the concept of the mindsets that product managers and product leaders can adopt in their work, and how these can hinder their effectiveness. These mindsets are pretty common, but I’m not just picking on other people here. Reflecting back on my career, I can pinpoint occasions where I’ve lived all of these and, in all of these cases, it was to my detriment. These mindsets are “Messiah”, “Martyr” and “Victim”.

Let’s dig in.

The Messiah Mindset

You walk into a new company, perhaps after somewhat of a successful career to date. Maybe you worked for a big tech firm or a unicorn. You had some early successes. You have got product management. If people don’t want to work the way you think is best, you’ll correct them. You can fix any company with your ideals, experience and credibility. Anyone that disagrees with you is an unbeliever and you will win them around with the awesome power of Product Thinking™

This probably lasts a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, before the initial novelty of having you in the company starts to wear off. There’s always a honeymoon period when you start any new job but, after a while, you’re just part of the furniture. People also start getting a bit fed up with the…