Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. In my opinion, for product managers, grit is an essential trait to have in order to be successful. Product management is an inherently challenging role with many obstacles and setbacks. To drive a product from initial concept to launch and beyond requires a tremendous amount of tenacity and determination. Product managers need to keep pushing forward on their product vision despite any roadblocks or challenges that arise. It also takes passion and engagement to fully understand customer needs, coordinate collaboration, and deliver excellent products. Product managers who have grit can see their products through from start to finish and overcome any difficulties along the way. This blog post will dive into the importance of grit in Product Management, why it makes such a difference, and how product managers can cultivate grit.
The Nature of Product Management Requires Grit
Product management is a highly complex and multifaceted role that comes with many difficulties and uncertainties. This fast-paced job requires strong perseverance and passion to thrive amidst the challenges. There are several key reasons why the nature of product management fundamentally requires grit:
1. Obstacles and setbacks are inevitable – From unexpected roadblocks in product development cycles to shifting timelines, product managers regularly encounter obstacles. Markets change, user feedback prompts pivots, and unforeseen quality issues emerge. Every product faces challenges during its journey from concept to launch and beyond. Grit enables product managers to take these setbacks in stride and push forward regardless.
2. Need to stick to the product vision – Product managers own the product vision and are responsible for making sure it comes to life. This requires tenacity to see it through amidst all the bumps in the road. Gritty product managers don’t lose sight of the product vision and can rally their teams to execute it despite whatever hurdles arise.
3. Perseverance from concept to launch and beyond – Product development takes time and perseverance. There are always long timelines and rework needed to get a quality product to market. After launch, there are improvements and new features to build. Grit keeps product managers relentlessly pushing the product forward from the initial idea to launch to future iterations.
4. Passion drives the product – The passion and engagement of the product manager are critical for fueling the momentum of a product. Gritty product managers care deeply about their products and that passion shows through and galvanizes their team. Their determination and positivity get the product through tough times.
Product management takes grit, but the good news is grit can be cultivated. Through techniques like maintaining a growth mindset, learning from challenges, and taking care of mental health, product managers can develop the kind of grit needed to be successful in this demanding but rewarding role.
Key Areas Where Grit Matters in Product Management
Grit comes into play in various aspects of the product management role. Here are some of the key areas where perseverance and passion make a critical difference:
Understanding Customer Needs
- Conducting research to truly understand user pain points requires grit. Study findings can be unclear and require product managers to stick with researching until core needs are uncovered.
- Passion for understanding what really matters to customers will enable product managers to keep pushing to uncover those key insights. Without grit, research efforts may be abandoned prematurely.
Handling Uncertainty
- Product roadmaps and timelines change extremely frequently. New information leads to shifting priorities.
- Gritty product managers can operate effectively amidst uncertainty. They remain agile and adaptable when plans need to pivot while staying focused on delivering value.
- Less gritty product managers may become frustrated and demotivated by changing plans instead of rolling with the changes.
Collaboration Across Teams
- Product managers need to work cross-functionally with engineering, design, marketing, and more. Aligning teams can involve many frustrations.
- Grit enables product managers to tenaciously bring teams together through clear communication and building relationships. They don’t give up when collaborating gets hard.
- Lack of grit leads to product managers abandoning collaboration efforts when friction emerges rather than pushing through it.
Delivering Excellent Products
- Creating great products involves contending with roadblocks, quality issues, and scope creep.
- Gritty product managers deal with these headaches to deliver outstanding products. They aren’t deterred by having to grind through iterations to get the product right.
- Those without grit may compromise on quality or scope once they hit obstacles in delivering excellence.
Cultivating Grit as a Product Manager
Grit is not innate. It can be cultivated over time through focused effort. Here are some tips for product managers to develop greater grit:
Growth Mindset – Views abilities as learnable with effort rather than fixed. Setbacks are opportunities to improve rather than failures.
Learn from Challenges – Reflect on difficulties faced and extract lessons for how to handle them better next time. Each challenge makes you more resilient.
Wellbeing – Manage stress and maintain physical/mental health. Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep. Reduce burnout so you have sustained energy.
Purpose and Meaning – Connect your product work to things you care about. A sense of purpose drives passion and perseverance through hard times.
Peer Support – Peers provide morale when things get tough. Maintain a network of people you can lean on.
Small Wins – Celebrate small wins along the way. Momentum compounds. Don’t just focus on the big end goal.
Grit takes time to develop, but putting consistent effort into these areas will help product managers cultivate the kind of grit needed to thrive in this demanding role. The passion and resilience enabled by grit are what separates good product managers from great ones.
Why Grit Matters More Than Innate Talent
Innate talents and intelligence are often overrated when it comes to success. Research by psychologist Angela Duckworth has demonstrated that grit is a far more accurate predictor of achievement than innate IQ or talent. Her studies found that grittier individuals consistently outperformed their less gritty peers, even those with higher innate abilities.
Natural talents provide some advantages, but grit allows people to maximize their potential through dedicated effort and improvement over time. Gritty people don’t let setbacks derail them – they find alternative paths to accomplish their goals. Highly intelligent people may give up more easily on challenges, while grittier people persevere through tenacious learning and hard work.
Ultimately, success and achievement are not predestined by innate gifts alone. With grit and the willingness to learn, anyone can develop excellence in their field through passion and perseverance. Product management is no exception – grit allows product managers to realize their potential regardless of where they started.
Grit in Product Management: Conclusion
In conclusion, grit is a critical asset for product managers. The passion and perseverance of grit enable product managers to drive their products from concept to launch and beyond. It empowers them to overcome the many obstacles and challenges inherent to product development and management. Product managers who cultivate grit can understand users, collaborate effectively, handle uncertainty, and deliver high-quality products where others may falter. While product management requires innate skills, grit goes much further in predicting success. With grit, product managers can achieve their full potential and bring great products to life.
