Product Management: Speed shows the focus

I am a slow follower when it comes to technology.  I don't go out and get the latest gadget.  I usually wait until it becomes v2, ask around friends, do some research.  When the technology has clear benefit then I jump on board.  By the time I make the decision, I'm usually the last one to join the group.

So it's understandable that I still use my Windows.  I do most of my work on Windows machine that I had for the last 3 years.  My most frequently used applications are

1. Outlook
2. Skype
3. Chrome
4. IE
5. PowerPoint
6. Word
7. Excel
8. Windows Explorer
9. Notepad

When I boot up my laptop, they probably get opened in that order.

Fade out of friction-less sharing

Guardian is quietly shutting down its Facebook social reader app.  If you remember, social reader app is the app that shares what you are reading with your friends automatically.  It's akin to tracking every article that you read through social reader app, and publishing the log to all your friends.  When it first started, I posted my criticism about this "friction-less sharing."

After about a year of experimenting, Guardian is ending the social reader app program.  The reason is obvious.  As GigaOM reported, it's because Guardian realized that 1) they didn't control how their content was delivered to their end users, and 2) user experience happened all within Facebook even when user is reading a Guardian content.

At one point Facebook social reader was generating more referral than Google.
Source: http://www.insidefacebook.com

And it came crashing down when Facebook stopped showing
the spammy social reading posts on our news feed.
Source: http://gigaom.com/

My day on mobile

For the last two days, I have been at offsite away from my desk.  It's times like that when I realize how much more I have become dependent on mobile phone.  Now I have been so used to getting access to information on my fingertip, it is to the point where I cannot imagine walking around without my iPhone.  It almost feels like when I first started to realize computer is useless unless it's connected to Internet.

Connected devices are allowing me to respond to requests at any time.  It also keeps me online so that anyone can reach me at any time.

Let me share the several use cases of my iPhone just today:

Product Management: Synchronizing the team

It is very important to synchronize the focus across the entire organization.  One example of focus is perfecting a product pitch.  A good should include what the product does, how it is different from others, and why customers should use the product.  Imagine everyone in the organization being able to deliver the consistent pitch with their own voice and passion.  That will be very powerful, and unfortunately it is an untapped potential for the most organizations.

As a product manager, we think a lot about creating the perfect product pitch.  But if the perfected pitch is not echoed across the sales team and sales engineering team, no nicely tuned product pitch will do any good.  In order to realize the benefit, the product core team must ensure that the consistent message is used to pitch the product regardless who it is giving the pitch.

This is true for corporate value as well.  When the value is synchronized, the power of value statement gets multiplied by getting reinforced by everyone in the organization.  This is exactly the reason why Zappos was so successful with its laser-focus on customer satisfaction to make every shoppers into life-time customers.

Why equity works in learning

I am very interested in process of learning.  I believe the only way to be truly relevant in changing work environment is to learn new things.  Not being afraid of making a mistake and learning from trial and error are essential tools for learning anything fast.  Once we give high cost to failure, we are effectively discouraging learning from taking place.

When I watch my 3 year old son, that's what I see.  He's not afraid of making a mistake.  One good example is that he repeats anything that hears whether it makes sense or not.  Often he picks up some foreign language and utters out his best impression of what he just heard.  When that happens, instead of him, I am the one who feel the need to explain the situation to onlookers.  My son, on the other hand, does not care whether someone is overhearing or not.  He just does it.

Derek Sivers: Don't be afraid of failing (and learning)

Derek Sivers sold his CD Baby business in 2009 and set up a trust fund with his $22 million cash profit to return everything back to music education when he dies.  He has been sharing his insights that he learned over the years while running CD Baby amid competition from Amazon and other startups.  His 8-piece talk on YouTube titled Uncommon Sense covers the highlights of his lessons including some practical tips to humanize the business (see the part 8 of 8).

I like Sivers' advice because they are very practical.  He connects his earlier attempt at launching his music career with running CD Baby experience to discuss some important lessons that we can all learn from:

Think again; you are replaceable

It may be a shocker for any star player.  But here is the truth.  

You are replaceable.  

By believing and acting like you are not, you are not only failing to perform at your peak, but also doing a disservice to your team by putting your ego ahead of team's objective.

Everyone is prone to make this mistake.  The more talented and dedicated the person is, the more likely he is to fall into this trap.  I admit that I was totally one of the victims.

It's true that you are unique as individual,
but your contribution is replaceable at work.
Act accordingly.
Source: http://venting-is-good-for-you.tumblr.com/