I had my review where the clear improvement area that was marked for me was that I should be more strategic.
First of all, it feels like a gut punch when you get a feedback like that because in my head I kept thinking, so they see me as a mule, who can take the load to a direction pointed to but not choose the direction. Fair enough. I should REALLLY work on this. The problem is - I have no clue whatsoever this "being more strategic" means. But I should, don't want to stay a mule.
Fortunately as I was wrestling with this problem, I found this blog post from my reading list. Same problems being faced by other PMs gives me solace.
I've identified these root causes in my workflow which might cause this
- I genuinely never sit and write down the strategy for my charter
- primarily because my charter keeps changing 🥲
- but also because I "implicitly" know what needs to be done. It probably sounded like a good thing, but is not. Implicit means I might be delusion-ed into thinking that their is a plan while there is not
- I also don't actually work on my craft anymore
- I've stopped reading blogs or articles or books on product management. Probably because I found the ideas very generic. Sigh.
- But maybe because I don't know what I am looking to improve. So this one is on me too. 🙈
- I don't ask questions or more specifically don't question people of authority
- This is a personality quirk I need to fix.
How do I act on a this?
- Create a charter doc, create a north star, plan OKRs. Basically be better at documentation (In many ways this blog is part of this exercise)
- Read more books on product management, read on fintech in general also
- Slightly difficult to achieve. But I have a starting point.
- I am part of a few communities, will ask for book recos.
- F--k--g think like a head of product. What will Manas Saloi do? Although I don't know him, good heuristic to follow.
- [ ] Will check back on an update on this in a couple of weeks' time 📅 2023-12-20
