Guiding a New Product Team Through Uncertainty and Ambiguity
Actionable steps to understand your team’s work maturity and how to guide them through uncertainty and ambiguity.
Two weeks ago, I embarked on a journey to be part of a new product opportunity and to work with a new development team. There’s a lot of excitement when you get to work on something that doesn’t exists and you have the chance to transform that vision into reality. Also, working with new colleagues can be an amazing opportunity for getting new ideas, new energy and creating relationships.
But as great as all of this may sound, it’s not always like this. Specially, if this is the first time that the development team works with a real product, it’ll be very difficult that they visualize the exact same picture that the Product Manager has in mind. This is where the leadership and communication skills of a PM start to shine on!
Identify your team’s work maturity
Stakeholders are not the only ones making things harder. Sometimes, is your own team the one that pulls back every time you want to step ahead. First step is to detect their level of work maturity. This can be done by observing their behavior, communication patterns, and work output. An immature team may struggle to meet deadlines, have poor communication skills, and lack a clear understanding of the project's goals and priorities.
Establish clear goals and expectations
Once you have identified the areas where your team is struggling, it's important to establish clear goals and expectations. As a Product Manager, you need to communicate what needs to be done, how it should be done and when it should be done. Be specific and avoid vague instructions that can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.
Provide guidance and support
It's important to provide guidance and support to your team as they navigate through the challenges of working on a new product. This can involve providing additional training, mentoring, and resources to help them improve their skills and knowledge. Be patient and understanding as your team works through these challenges.
Encourage collaboration and communication
Effective collaboration and communication are crucial to the success of any product team. Encourage your team to share ideas, ask questions, and work together to solve problems. Foster a culture of openness and transparency, where everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns.
Celebrate small victories
Working on a product is a long and challenging process, filled with ups and downs. Celebrate small victories along the way, such as completing a milestone or delivering a feature. This helps to keep your team motivated and energized. Most of the times, a shout out for their great work in front of the rest of the team, clients or stakeholders worths all the pizza in the world.
Uncertainty is scary for everyone
Uncertainty is part of the everyday job of a Product Manager, yet sometimes the idea of the “what’s next?” can desperate us. If this happens to a PM, now imagine what a new designer or a developer in your team may feel.
Encourage experimentation and learning
Embrace a culture of experimentation and continuous learning. Encourage your team to test hypotheses, try new approaches, and learn from failures. Celebrate insights gained from both successful and unsuccessful experiments, emphasizing the importance of learning from every iteration. Provide them resources and time for professional development to enhance their skills and knowledge, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Emphasize User-Centricity
In times of uncertainty, focusing on the end-user is better. Help the team develop a deep understanding of user needs, pain points, and desires through user research and feedback. Continuously validate assumptions and hypotheses, iteratively refining the product based on user insights. By keeping the user at the center of decision-making, the team can reduce uncertainty and build a product that truly meets their needs.
Motivate them to manage risks proactively
Uncertainty often brings inherent risks. As a Product Manager, it is crucial to identify and manage them proactively. Conduct risk assessments and develop mitigation strategies for potential challenges. Encourage the team to embrace a mindset of risk management, empowering them to identify risks and propose solutions. Regularly evaluate and adapt risk management strategies throughout the product development lifecycle.
Support and empower your team
Help your team by actively listen to their concerns, provide guidance, and remove any roadblocks that hinder progress. Foster an environment that allows for autonomy and ownership, empowering team members to make decisions and take responsibility for their work. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements, boosting morale and motivating the team to overcome uncertainties.
Not everyone is going to love you, and that’s okay
As a Product Manager, it is essential to recognize that not everyone in the team will have the same level of affinity towards you. People come with their own biases, past experiences, and personalities that can influence their perceptions and initial reactions. While it is ideal to foster positive relationships with team members, it is equally important to understand that not everyone will naturally gravitate towards you.
In two weeks, I heard many times how “Product Managers don’t understand what development needs.” But where does this thinking come from?
Try to understand them
Take the time to understand each team member individually. Recognize that their behaviors and biases may be shaped by factors outside your control. Actively listen to their concerns, perspectives, and feedback, and make an effort to empathize with their experiences. This understanding can help you establish a common ground and work towards resolving any conflicts or misunderstandings.
Lead by example
Showcasing strong leadership qualities can help win over team members who may initially be skeptical. Demonstrate professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to the team's success. Lead by example, exhibiting the qualities you expect from the team members. By consistently displaying fairness, respect, and empathy, you can gradually earn their trust and respect.
Seek for your team’s feedback
Regularly seek feedback from your team members on your own performance as a Product Manager. Be open to constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity for self-improvement. Demonstrating a commitment to continuous growth also sets an example for the team.
Address conflicts immediately
When conflicts arise, address them promptly and directly. Encourage team members to find mutually beneficial solutions through open discussions. As a mediator, listen to both sides, remain neutral, and help facilitate a resolution that aligns with the project's goals.
We’ve made it!
It's important to remember that managing a team is not just about the project's success, but also about fostering a positive and inclusive team culture. The wrong behavior or bias can undermine this culture and lead to high turnover rates, decreased motivation, and worst, make work chaotic.
Dealing with a new product team can be challenging but it's not impossible. By detecting their level of work maturity, establishing clear goals and expectations, providing guidance and support, encouraging collaboration and communication, and celebrating small victories, you can help your team grow and improve their skills, ultimately leading to a successful product launch.
Working with new products and teams it’s always an exciting adventure, yet it often comes with different challenges that will prove yourself as a Product Manager. This is a great opportunity to put your Soft skills in practice. Check one of my posts where I deep dive on each skill and download the free checklist 👇
Product Management Skills + Checklist Template
Product Management skills may differ between company or organization. Most of the times, the role and activities depends on the size of the company and the type of product or service. While some companies are looking for Product Managers that are more strategic or evangelists, in other places they praise for a more tactical role that focuses on overseeing the day-to-day development of the product.
I've lived through this several times in my career - both changing teams within the same org and then changing orgs. I have taken multiple approaches to it - the "come in and change everything because its all bad" one was the worst for sure. Listening, finding where there's opportunity to get to know the individuals better, being reserved until you have some trust established - those types of things helped me a lot.
I like that you mention work maturity. In my experience, the PM job differs a lot for PMs of mature teams vs PMs of starting teams.