On most days in my attempts to do a half decent job as a Product Manager, I see two themes show up regularly in my reflections – i) Something new either got messed up or got real close to getting messed up and ii) I did something that upset somebody.
And, a realization that has accompanied these reflections over time is that there is no solve for this. (This was disappointing.. until it was liberating.)
Here’s why – if we’re both stretching ourselves beyond our comfort zone and attempting to drive change, it is impossible to avoid making mistakes. The only questions worth focusing on then are – are we aware of them? And, are we following up with creative, constructive, and corrective responses?
As long as we’re doing that, that uncomfortable feeling in the stomach is the price we pay for our own learning, long term growth, and, hopefully, progress.
Of course, this isn’t limited to product management – it applies just as well to many jobs, to parenting, and to life.
The discomfort is a leading indicator of the obstacle. And, the obstacle is the way.
