About Product Management and Martial Arts
Originally posted on September 18th, 2021.
Someone asked me the other day how can one hone their craft to excel in Product Management. There is no easy answer for it because Product Management practices can be very different from one company to another. The only thing in common is the journey to get better at it.
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As a Martial Arts student, I realized that there’s a lot in common between an apprentice in Martial Arts with someone who is getting started in Product Management. Here are some takes:
- The beginning is hard: you are given a blueprint and are showed many different techniques that can help you achieve your goal, but they don’t make any sense at first. The first few exercises are painful and frustrating. You start thinking about whether you are good at it or should try something else.
- Your training partners are a make it or break it: although combat will be between two fighters, your preparation for a tournament depends on having supportive training partners that will help you develop your strategy. A lack of good partnership can only create distraction and frustration.
- Learn from your Sensei: the phrase “stand on the shoulder of giants”, can’t be more accurate. Reach out to the Sensei to mentor you. Get knowledge from other Masters that have been there before you and have developed the mental models you are using to learn a new technique.
- Develop your shortcuts: as you practice your craft you will start identifying shortcuts that help you achieve results more effectively. These shortcuts can be incorporated in a known technique you learned from a Sensei, so you add your personal twist to it.
- Check your ego at the door: it’s not because you are more seasoned that you don’t need to be humble. The more you go up in the ranks, the more you need to help the others who are behind you. And never forget that someone has helped you get where you are. Even if you’ve become badass at what you do, lead by example and virtue. This is not Cobra Kai, kid!
- There are two outcomes on the mat: you either win, or you learn. Use what you learned from someone that is better than you to further develop your game. Mistakes happen and, as long as there isn’t someone else’s life on the line, don’t feel bad if things don’t go according to your plan.
- Keep showing up at the Dojo: focus on consistency. Show up for training every day and keep practicing, experimenting with some things, and see the result. The only constant is that you keep learning new things to become more effective. There is a myth that ancient martial artists always started with a white belt around their waist. The more they practiced, the dirtier the belt would get. When they finally mastered their craft, their belts would be so dirty that they would have turned black.
And last but not least, an important tool to excel in Product Management is using analogies. Sometimes, the best way to send your message is to explain your complex concepts with more mundane things.
How do you describe the Product Management journey to someone? Want to share it? Drop me a note at hello@thiagocb.com and let’s talk!
