I just finished reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore for fun, and it was a great read. It is a humorous take on Jesus’ childhood, wherein he visits several wise gurus alongside his friend, Biff. One quote in particular stuck out to me:
“All fear comes from trying to see the future, Biff. If you know what is coming, you aren’t afraid.” (p.231)
To me, this was an intriguing take on the one of the most important and challenging responsibilities of a Product Manager: to create and communicate a vision for the future. If a Product Manager does not do this well, there will be fear as team members and stakeholders are left to prognosticate on their own. They won’t have the full context of solutions that are viable, feasible, and usable, and will thus assume the future will fail in one or more of these aspects. From unsellable products to technical meltdowns, everyone has a boogeyman product that they never want to revisit. And this nightmare project is the first thing that comes to mind for them when they think about what might happen. A Product Manager may see this fear in decreased team productivity, lose of stakeholder trust, and time wasted squashing rumors.
So what can a Product Manager do to avoid this fear? By creating a clear vision, using Lean Canvases and other methods to show the “what” and “why” for the plan, team members and stakeholders can see the future. A plan doesn’t magically make everyone agree, and folks will certainly question the plan and raise risks. This questioning is healthy as it gets their fears out, helping to refine the plan and focus the vision in the places that matter the most for them. Iterating on a plan ultimately leads to a supported vision that everyone can rally behind.
The next time, or the first time, you’re making a plan for the future, think about what you’re doing to remove fear for your team and stakeholders. I think you’ll find the planning, even if it can be repetitive, is more engaging when you think about the emotional relief you’re providing to others by helping to remove fear from an unknown future.