11 Reasons Why You’re Not Trusting Your Product Team And How To Overcome It
Are you lacking confidence in your own product team? Get actionable advice on how you can improve trust and delegation.
As a product manager, you want to ensure the success of your product and make the best decisions for it. However, it can be hard to trust in the decisions of your own development team when you have put your heart and soul into the project. You may worry that they might not share the same level of investment and dedication as you do, or that their choices could negatively affect the product's success.
Let’s take a closer look at why this could be happening 👇
The roulette of distrust or why is hard for PMs to trust in their teams 🚨
Here I present to you what I call the roulette of distrust. This roulette is made of 11 reasons of why some product managers sometimes don’t trust (most of the times unintentionally), in their teams and don’t delegate decisions to them.
1. Perceived Accountability: Product managers often hold a significant degree of accountability for the success of their products. This pressure can lead to a reluctance to delegate decisions, as they might fear that mistakes made by the team will ultimately reflect negatively on them.
2. Fear of Losing Control: Some PMs might struggle to “give in” control over decision-making because they fear that decisions made by their team members might not align with their own vision or understanding of the product's goals.
3. High Stakes: The success of a product can have far-reaching implications for a company, including revenue, reputation, and market positioning. Product managers might be hesitant to trust others with these high-stakes decisions, especially if they perceive potential risks.
4. Lack of Confidence: If a product manager lacks confidence in their team's abilities, they may find it difficult to trust that their team can make sound decisions. This lack of confidence could stem from concerns about the team's skills, experience, or alignment with the product's objectives.
5. Micromanagement Tendencies: Some individuals have a natural inclination toward micro-managing, wanting to be involved in every decision and detail. This tendency can hinder the development of trust as team members might feel that their skills and judgment are not respected.
6. Communication Challenges: Poor communication or a lack of effective communication between the product manager and the team can erase trust. When team members don't understand the rationale behind decisions or the product manager's expectations, they might hesitate to make decisions independently.
7. Previous Negative Experiences: Past experiences, such as failed projects or decisions made by a team that didn't turn out well, can make a product manager more cautious about trusting their team in the future.
8. Imposter Syndrome: Occasionally, PMs might struggle with imposter syndrome, feeling that they need to constantly prove their worth. This can lead to a reluctance to delegate decision-making, as they might believe that only they can make the "right" choices.
9. Lack of Delegation Skills: Delegating effectively requires a specific set of skills, including clear communication, setting expectations, and providing support. If a product manager lacks these skills, they might hesitate to delegate important decisions.
10. Organizational Culture: The organizational culture and management style can also play a role. If the culture emphasizes top-down decision-making or places high value on individual contribution, it might discourage product managers from fully trusting their teams.
11. Control Over Ego: Giving up control and trusting in others requires humility and a willingness to recognize that one person doesn't have all the answers. Ego can sometimes get in the way of establishing trust in a team's capabilities.
Did you identified yourself with one of those reasons or maybe more than one? Well, you’re not the only one. This happens to many product managers. It also happened to me…
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True Story: How I was affecting my own team’s growth
In the noisy realm of a tech company, I found myself in the shoes of a new product manager facing a unique challenge. With a solid background in both development and design, I had a deep understanding of the complexities that went into crafting our product. This knowledge, however, became a double-edged sword when it came to trusting my own product team.
As a group of junior devs and designers joined my team, I initially embraced their enthusiasm and drive to learn. However, as days turned into weeks, I noticed a pattern emerging. They frequently sought my guidance and approval on even minuscule decisions, from color schemes to code implementations. While I cherished their respect for my opinion, I soon realized that this situation was sapping not only my time but also their potential for growth.
The next days, my own tasks were piling up. I found myself drowning in a sea of micro-decisions that left me with barely any time to focus on my core responsibilities as a PM. One day, one of the designers consulted me to know how to reutilize a component that was previously documented and used before. I had enough.
I realized that my team's growth was stunted by my constant involvement. I was unintentionally acting as a bottleneck, hindering their ability to take ownership of their work and make decisions independently.
So I addressed the issue by sharing my concerns openly and vulnerably in a team call. I established clear guidelines for decision-making, that they could handle autonomously and as a team. I encouraged them to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them.
As days passed, the transformation was remarkable. They embraced the opportunity of taking ownership of their choices and ideas. They began making decisions that not only matched the product's vision but often exceeded expectations. Actually, I reclaimed my own time and sanity. I could finally focus on the strategic aspects of my role—shaping the product's roadmap, aligning with stakeholders, and planning for the future.
Now that I look back, it’s clear to me that letting go was not a sign of weakness but a commitment to my team's success. I recognized that their growth was my responsibility too, and it was my duty to foster an environment that would facilitate it.
True growth lies not only in personal achievement but also in empowering others to thrive.
What can you do to start trusting in your product team and delegating tasks?
Trust is essential for successful collaboration and can be built through open communication, transparency, and consistency. Here's how to establish a solid foundation:
1. The Foundation of Trust
Open Lines of Communication: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and insights. Encourage regular one-on-one conversations to build personal relationships and understand their perspectives.
Transparency: Share information about the company's goals, challenges, and vision. When team members see the bigger picture, they are more likely to take ownership of their decisions.
Lead by Example: Demonstrate trust in your team by delegating tasks and decisions yourself. When you trust others, you set the precedent for them to trust each other.
2. Define Clear Expectations
Setting Goals: Clearly articulate the goals of the project and the desired outcomes. When your team knows what's expected, they can make decisions that align with these objectives.
Establishing Boundaries: Communicate the scope of decisions that can be made independently and those that require higher-level approval. This prevents confusion and empowers your team to make informed choices within defined limits.
3. Empowerment through Education
Training: Invest in ongoing training to enhance the skills and expertise of your team members. The more confident they feel in their abilities, the more likely they are to make informed decisions.
Access to Information: Equip your team with the data and insights necessary to evaluate options and make strategic choices. When they have access to relevant information, they can make decisions with confidence.
4. Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity
Constructive Feedback: Provide feedback that focuses on growth and improvement rather than blame. Encourage team members to share lessons learned from both successes and failures.
Continuous Improvement: Use failures as opportunities to refine processes and decision-making frameworks. Encourage your team to identify ways to prevent similar issues in the future.
5. Celebrate Successes and Learnings
Recognize Achievements: Celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Recognize the contributions of team members who make decisions that positively impact the project.
Share Insights: When a decision leads to positive outcomes, share the story with the team. Highlight the factors that contributed to success and reinforce the value of trust and empowerment.
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Wrapping Up
Trusting your product team and delegating important decisions can be a game-changer for productivity and innovation. It allows you to focus on higher-level strategic tasks, while empowering your team to use their expertise and creativity to drive the product forward. Embrace a culture of trust, set clear goals and expectations, and foster a learning mindset that encourages growth through failure. By doing so, you'll empower your team to excel and achieve amazing results together.
What are some challenges you've faced when delegating decisions to your product team? How have you built trust within your team? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
It’s accurate how you describe some situations and now I realize it was me not trusting the team. Thanks for sharing this guide of insights!