Insights for product leaders on applying design thinking, data science, lean startup, and agile principles to develop great product teams and product growth strategies.
Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from early-stage founders and first-time product leaders around how to keep stress levels down. Whether you’re leading an early-stage product or balancing a team of stakeholders, it can seem like you’re dealing with an endless stream of expectations.
I wish I had a silver bullet for this, but I don’t. In the early years of my career I often worked hard and long, but as I got older I got better at advocating for myself and the balance I need to perform at my best. I’ve been setting and keeping boundaries in tech workplaces and startups for years now, and the truth is, there’s no easy answer. You have to know how you function best and take care of yourself. No one but you can set your boundaries and prioritize your health.
Being a part of a team and sharing responsibilities is the best solution I’ve found. And if you are a leader, remember the team takes their cues from you. But if you do, they will see it’s ok too, and in the long run, this is the only way to sustain growth.
After a successful trial period of using paternity leave for one day a week, Jonathan Waddingham switched to a 4 day work week. Here’s how it made him a better product manager.
One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not uncommon for people in our industry to struggle on the inside - whether with the very common “Imposter Syndrome” or with a full mental illness like anxiety or depression. If this is you, take solace - you are not alone. Check out this great piece from Wil Wheaton about his experiences with it.
There’s a lot of information about how to do agile product management at the team level, but how do you scale it up? How can product leaders set their teams up to reap the benefits of agile and lean methodologies even as they work across complex systems?
If you’re in NYC on Sep 12, come out to this event! I’ll be speaking along with a couple other product leaders on how to make better product decisions.
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to hear from you - how do you make time for yourself and your health?
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