Mama Said There'll Be Days Like This…
The relationships I have had with my teams without a doubt have been full of swings in moral. There have been ups - those glory filled moments of team success, celebration, and accomplishment; and of course, there have been downs - feeling stressed out, overworked, and beaten. Still, in looking back, what inspires me are those moments of camaraderie when we’ve rallied behind an important project or cause. Hopefully you’ve experienced this too. When things are good, everything seems to fall into place. We’re moving in a coordinated effort that feels natural, free-flowing - like it just makes sense. Everyone knows exactly what they need to do individually for the team to be successful.
On the flip side, when things are bad, it can get really bad. Moral can quickly drop. Venting can lead to project bashing, which can lead to company bashing, which can lead to people bashing. It’s self-destructive cycle and at times, it can feel like the whole world is against you. But in these moments of defeat, this is when I believe a strong product manager can shine.
Analogies of product managers run the gamut. Reading through books and posts you commonly see them described as: mini CEOs, politicians, orchestral conductors, quarterbacks, and architects to name a few. While do I agree with some of these, I like to describe us more fittingly as "human shields”.
As product managers, we are here to optimize, scale, and improve our products. None of this however can be done without a strong and supportive team. When times are bad, and trust me there will be times that are bad, it is crucial for the product manager to absorb, shield, and protect their team members from going down a destructive cycle. Remember, “Mama said there'll be days like this”, and in these moments we should remember they are temporary. Now I’m not saying to ignore reality. If times are bad for the business, don’t ignore it but instead, show some empathy and acknowledge it, give context, and frame the conversation to explain what you are doing to resolve the issue. But if a single project goes bad or there is a bug out there wreaking havoc, then protect your team and support them as they work through it. We celebrate together in victory but in defeat, we as product managers need to step up, protect and support our teams, and plan for how to not let it happen again.
Have you led a team through a project that stumbled? Get in touch and let me know what happened.
