How To Embrace Gratitude As A Product Manager
As Thanksgiving approaches, it's the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on the things we are thankful for in our roles and those who are with us on this journey.
We often get caught up in the whirlwind of feature releases, stakeholder management, user feedback, process improvements and MUCH more. But as Thanksgiving approaches, it's the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on the things we are thankful about our roles.
Believe me, adopting an attitude of gratitude can transform not only your work life, but your entire approach to product management. Let’s see some examples! 👇
The Power of Thankfulness in Product Management
Let's face it: being a product manager isn't always a walk in the park. 🏞️
We juggle multiple responsibilities, navigate complex stakeholder relationships, and sometimes face criticism when things don't go as planned. But what if I told you that being thankful for these challenges could actually make you better at your job?
Research shows that practicing gratitude can lead to increased productivity, better decision-making, and improved team dynamics. As product managers, these benefits can directly impact our ability to deliver successful products and lead effective teams.
💡 As ICs, our perspective can be narrow and we don't fully understand how much we impact and influence our teams and everyone around us.
It took me some time to understand this and move from being pessimistic to seriously leading by example using gratitude. But once you do, it’s rewarding and gets easier to stick with it.
Reasons to Be Grateful as a Product Manager
1. The Challenge of Problem-Solving 🧩
Every day, we're presented with new problems to solve. Whether it's a tricky user experience issue or a technical roadblock, these challenges push us to think creatively and grow professionally. Instead of seeing them as obstacles, try viewing them as opportunities to showcase your skills and learn something new.
2. Your Cross-Functional Team 👨🏻💻
Behind every great product is a team of talented individuals. Take a moment to appreciate the designers who bring your vision to life, the developers who turn ideas into reality, or the marketers who help your product shine in the marketplace. Their diverse skills and perspectives make your job not just possible, but exciting.
3. User Feedback (Yes, Even the Negative Kind) 🫣
Feedback, I’m not sure if the term positive and negative, is a goldmine of insights. It helps us understand our users better and guides our product decisions. Next time you receive a critical review, try saying "thank you" – it's valuable information that can help improve your product.
4. The Ever-Evolving Tech Landscape 📱
The rapid pace of technological change might seem daunting for many of us, but it's also what keeps our jobs interesting. Be grateful for the opportunity to work in a field that's constantly evolving and offering new ways to solve problems.
Practical Ways to Show Gratitude at Work
Now that we've identified reasons to be thankful, let's explore how we can put gratitude into practice:
🤙 Start Team Meetings with Appreciation: Begin your next stand-up by sharing something you're grateful for about the team or project. For example:
Congratulate a developer for documenting.
Compliment a QA engineer for excelling in a stakeholder demonstration.
Appreciate the technical limitations your engineers say in refinements.
Thank the brave people who speak up in retrospectives.
💡 Even though these are part of their responsibilities, show gratitude and appreciation because they are the gears that keep the machine running.
💌 Write Thank-You Notes: Take the time to write personalized notes to team members who've gone above and beyond. To some employees, there's nothing like getting recognized for doing at outstanding job. Appreciating their effort in front of others will build strong relationships.
🙏 Appreciate your Stakeholders: Acknowledge the contributions and support of your stakeholders, whether they are from marketing, sales, or leadership. Recognize the value they bring to the product development process and express your gratitude for their collaboration and input.
🏆 Create a 'Wins' Channel: Set up a dedicated Slack or Teams channel to celebrate small and big victories throughout the product development process. Be as creative as you need to be: Include storytelling, GIFs, personalized message, emojis, etc.
Gratitude as a Tool for Year-End Reflection
As the year draws to a close, gratitude can be a powerful lens through which to view your accomplishments and set goals for the future. Here's how:
🏆 Review Your Achievements: List out the features you've shipped, the problems you've solved, and the growth you've experienced.
💡 Gratitude journals are very helpful. Spend a few minutes a day or a little time a week writing down three things you are grateful for in your role as a product manager. Give thanks for each success and for yourself.
🧠 Acknowledge Lessons Learned: Even projects that didn't go as planned offer valuable lessons. Express gratitude for these learning opportunities.
💡 Be kind and patient with yourself, so when you do these reflections try to base them on the facts and how things can go better next time.
🙏 Set Grateful Goals: As you plan for the next year, frame your goals in terms of what you're grateful to have the opportunity to achieve.
The Ripple Effect of Gratitude
When you cultivate an attitude of gratitude, it doesn't just benefit you – it positively impacts your entire product ecosystem. Your team becomes more cohesive, stakeholders feel more valued, and even users can sense the positive energy behind your product.
“We can hyper-focus on the faults in our co-workers and the unfairness of our circumstances… on teams missing deadlines, poor sales execution, lack of support, decisions rooted in feelings instead of facts, and on and on and on. All those frustrations can deceive us, leading us away from success and down into a pit of bitterness and despair.”
—Christopher Cummings
Product Management Meets Pop Culture
Don’t forget your loved ones 🧑🧑🧒🧒
For me, product management is a tough job. Either you learn to love it and accept the variety of obstacles you may encounter, or you get overwhelmed enough to feel miserable and quit (maybe there's more to it).
Either way, it’s very time consuming, every company will add its layers of difficulties, and so will the demanding and changing market. That is why, you have to thank your family and those who are with you along the way.
Thank your loved ones who are supporting your career,
For those sleepless nights,
For all the stress you brought home when your product launch failed or
For all those times you were working at a loss.
I'm telling you from experience: be thankful for the time you spend with them, because it's hard for them too.
Wrapping Up 🦃
This Thanksgiving season, I challenge you to look at your role through a lens of gratitude. Appreciate the challenges, be thankful for your team, and recognize the incredible opportunity we have to shape products that impact people's lives.
Remember, gratitude isn't just for Thanksgiving – it's a mindset that can transform your approach to your career all year round. So, let's raise a toast to the complex, challenging, and incredibly rewarding world of product management. We're lucky to be a part of it! 🥂
What are you most grateful for in your product management journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 🫶
Thank you Elena for this post! This is so important, and we shouldn't need to wait for a special day!
For those with Microsoft Teams, Viva insights allows you to get reminders to praise people on specific days, so I made it a friday thing and every Friday I'd choose a person and publicly be grateful for them in our channel. It's something so easy to do! Teams creates nice cards on Teams, which you can personalize!
And it does wonders to your collaboration and motivation from the team that works with you (I praised regularly Devs & Designers, one or two every week).
This is a well-timed post about Thanksgiving in the US this week. We must cultivate gratitude, and step back to do as you describe. When you are rushing to get things done, it is harder to have gratitude. Just stepping back for a few minutes and consciously think about it, can really be a mood booster and improve the relationships around you.