You’ve nailed the vision, and built the foundation of trust, now you need to motivate your teams. The success of your product depends on the work they (engineering, UX/design, marketing, sales, etc.) do. In nearly all cases, the individuals on whom you depend for this success do not report to you. That’s why motivating and influencing become some of the most important things you do as a product manager.
What are the key elements to motivating and influencing your teams?
I’ve recently had several experiences that required me to get out of my comfort zone. The subject of courage has becoming particularly important and meaningful to me in recent weeks and months.
Making decisions is never easy. Deciding on one thing over another ranks high among the most difficult things we have to do. The tendency is to postpone decisions as long as we can and put of the pain.
At its root the word of decision means to cut off. When you make a decision you go with one thing and leave all the rest behind. That’s a big reason why making decisions is tough.
Guest post by Mirette Ghanem
If you are reading this, you’re already flexing your leadership muscle. Of all the ways you could be using this time, you were drawn to a headline on leadership and you stopped to focus on the topic.
Most organizations are made up of teams that work together to accomplish a common objective. Within those teams are individuals who are responsible for specific tasks. The combination of those tasks create the desired outcome. What is the secret to influencing others to work together effectively?
“Discipline equals freedom.” This statement sounds like a contradiction because the word ‘discipline’ is most often used in the context of punishment or reining in improper behavior. In leadership, however, discipline creates power. Discipline leads to more flexibility and control over your every aspect of your life. Discipline creates great leaders.
‘Hope’ is one of those words that means different things to different people. To some it has religious connotations. To others it’s a strong feeling that drives them to do greater things. Many think of hope as a wish for something they want to happen but for which they don’t feel in control of the outcome.
For me, hope is an essential part of who I am; it gets me up in the morning and keeps the fire burning all day. Hope is at the core of leadership.
Great leaders are confident in their ability to succeed. This seems pretty obvious. The question is how did they become confident? What do/did they do differently than most other people?
Chances are, your professional team is not working up to its full potential and because of this both valuable time and talent are being wasted. In a way, your team is your most valuable investment and it’s no surprise you want to get all the return imaginable. But don’t let these thoughts frighten you; there are, in fact, changes you can make regarding your leadership strategy to help unearth your team’s true potential. As you’ll see, effective leadership is the most important factor in motivating your team and having them perform to the best of their abilities. Continue reading
Guest post by Allen Kors
While some may be born with an innate knack for great leadership skills like confidence, communication, and creativity, I’d like to argue that great leaders are made not born. Even if you are born with certain traits and talents, only through carefully developing those skills and talents can you learn to master the art of leadership. Being a great leader takes practice.
To develop great people skills, potential leaders need to learn how to become better listeners, how to accept critical feedback in a constructive way, and how to best display empathy and patience with other team members and colleagues. Continue reading
Lead on Purpose 