Sep 17, 2019
The PM Journal | Log 05
Be heard!
Some time ago, I wrote an article about changing mindset instead of changing process, and in the last few days, I got more proof of how valuable that is.
I’m going to go shortly direct to the point:
If you’re building a company from scratch, you have the world in your hands to follow the best practices ever. So please do it. It’s not difficult to learn about how to create a product that people love. I’m very repetitive in this fact, but it’s the reality of software companies.
I’m reading this book Sense & Respond Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden (you will see me talking about this book in many articles to come), and they state:
“The team mentality must start at the executive level. Leaders must set and communicate direction and then allow the team to gather information, learn, and react.”
The authors describe a situation from a company called Cooking Light Diet. Its executives gave freedom to the team to resolve a problem, measure, learn and keep the communication cycle with the stakeholders providing updates. The team had the autonomy to fail, to experiment risks, to validate with users, and develop a solution that they know would succeed. As they said in the book, this company now has an “annual rate of $1 million and growing”.
All that because the team members were heard. And the executives trusted. Humility is the best skill in product development and life.
If you’re hiring competent professionals, let them do the work they are meant to.
Even though it’s not a new company, embrace the right practices. Be user-centered!
(Please notice that I’m not native in English and I apologize for mistakes)
