Three decades ago now, Ben Horowitz, an early Product Management leader at Netscape, wrote a short essay on product management. The essay focused on a set of behaviors that differentiated a bad product manager from a good one. One of them, for example, was writing weekly updates.
There are many reasons why weekly updates are a good indicator of good product management. Writing something weekly requires discipline. And as good writing takes logical thinking, a strong weekly update often indicates the ability to structure your thoughts and communicate logically.
All of these are useful assets for a Product Manager.
But they’re just indicators at the end of the day.
In the final analysis, a Product Manager’s success is based on the success of the products shipped. A PM’s ability to figure out what needs to be built and then building it in the most effective way possible is far more important than indicators like weekly updates.
Similarly, many wealthy leaders have structured morning routines. But a structured morning routine does not a wealthy leader make.
It is easy to get attached to such indicators as they’re easier to control. But it is folly to get too attached to these – especially if they aren’t resulting in the outcomes that matter.
Don’t confuse the indicator for the outcome.
