{"id":1789,"date":"2019-08-21T11:21:10","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T15:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog3.canny.io\/wordpress\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2024-04-19T16:40:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T20:40:23","slug":"conquering-my-baby-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/conquering-my-baby-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Conquering the &#8220;my baby&#8221; fear in product management"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/sojo-stories\/ideas-are-babies-5da2e83e3b32\">blog post by AJ Tibando titled \u201cIdeas are babies\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cGenerally people refer to your idea as your baby because of the deep personal and emotional connection you have to it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You become naturally protective and defensive of your idea, wanting to tuck it under your wing, take care of it and raise it to succeed in this crazy mixed up world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 AJ Tibando<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The \u201cmy baby\u201d bias also sometimes applies to product managers and owners about what they\u2019re building.<\/p>\n<p>You have a vision for the product, you build it, you maintain it, you work hard on it every day. It\u2019s your baby.<\/p>\n<p>And then, PM\u2019s are often perceived as the \u201cgatekeeper\u201d\u2014the person that everyone goes to to \u201cget things done\u201d. These \u201cthings that need to be done\u201d vary by person and by department.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re building a product and working hard to keep it alive. And then you have ten thousand people hounding you about it at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>This can make you even more protective over what you\u2019re building. It can feel like everyone\u2019s constantly circling over you and your baby like vultures.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"gif size-full wp-image-1791 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/giphy-15.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"364\" height=\"276\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s <em>your<\/em> baby, and nobody knows better than you. Right?<\/p>\n<h2>Why it hurts<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s natural to be protective over your product and what happens to it (up to a certain degree). However, being too protective over your \u201cbaby\u201d will come back to bite you.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with building SaaS products is that they need to be fluid. Things change, customers change, needs change.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, getting too stuck into what your idea of the product is can be detrimental either by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You not allowing things to change and not taking feedback, which means product is stagnant and customers are unhappy.<\/li>\n<li>If you do allow changes to happen based on external aspects moving but hate it, you become resentful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Today, we\u2019re going to talk about 3 things you can do to let go of your \u201cbaby\u201d a bit, and not feel bad about it.<\/p>\n<h2>Talk to customers directly<\/h2>\n<p>In many companies, there is a huge disconnect between the product team and its users.<\/p>\n<p>This is less of an issue in companies where everyone puts aside time to do support on a regular basis, like <a href=\"https:\/\/open.buffer.com\/customer-support-buffer\/\">Buffer<\/a>. However, everyone being in the front line every now and then is more of an exception than a common practice.<\/p>\n<p>This means that information is relayed. Product owners hear about feedback from support, not customers. There\u2019s not much context attached. It\u2019s like a broken telephone.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a considerable gap in communication between product and success teams to begin with:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1792\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1792\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openviewpartners.com\/blog\/customer-success-product-management-alignment\/#.XVwctZNKgWo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1792 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/NicoleWojno_TheGreatDivide-1024x624-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"624\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1792\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: OpenView<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Besides being boring and depersonalized, this information can also potentially be <em>very<\/em> misunderstood.<\/p>\n<p>Customers buy more and are more loyal to a company when there\u2019s a name and face attached to the \u201cteam\u201d. It works the same the other way around.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll be more susceptible to feedback and understand it better coming straight from the source. Using <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/use-cases\/product-management\">product management software<\/a> that offers feedback management (like Canny!) can really help with this.<\/p>\n<p>You won\u2019t be looking at a Trello card with a 3 word feature request on it. You\u2019ll be talking to Chris from Canny who would be able to do his job a lot better if this feature was built.<\/p>\n<p>Chris is a lovely guy. Not only that, but he\u2019s the reason you even have a job.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the kind of realization and emotional connection you can\u2019t have with a barrier between you.<\/p>\n<p>You should do this as regularly as you can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take a few hours (or even minutes) each week and be in the front line. Answer support tickets, do customer chats on Intercom, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Schedule actual meetings with customers to understand them better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Talking to your end users\u2014as real people with concerns, emotions and personalities\u2014will help you empathize and feel less protective of your baby.<\/p>\n<h2>Get to the bottom of issues<\/h2>\n<p>The worst thing you can do when someone wants to change something is get defensive right off the bat. Being the \u201cgatekeeper\u201d that everyone goes to with their demands makes it easy to get tired of it.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to brush off issues just because you don\u2019t want to deal with it\u2014and that\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of people are bad at communicating their real problem. What will help you with not getting frustrated at this is creating context for yourself.<\/p>\n<p>When you get told that someone needs a feature, a solution, or anything else, ask \u201cwhy?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t get enough of an answer to help you create constructive context, ask \u201cwhy?\u201d again. Ask \u201cwhy?\u201d until you have identified the root issue.<\/p>\n<p>This is very similar to the <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/faster-horse-customer-feedback\/\">\u201cfaster horse\u201d issue in customer feedback<\/a>. Raw user feedback needs to be analyzed before using it as instructions for development.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1793\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1793\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/podcasts\/lessons-in-product-management-with-intercoms-colin-bentley-and-brian-donohue\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1793 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Making_Sense_of_Customer_Feedback_Inline_04-1024x646.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"646\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1793\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Intercom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You communicating with incoming internal feedback shouldn\u2019t be any different. People just \u201casking you stuff\u201d and \u201ctelling you to do something\u201d is frustrating.<\/p>\n<p>Creating constructive context helps you detach yourself from it. It&#8217;s never a personal attack.<\/p>\n<p>Push until you have created a logical issue and a logical solution to an issue. It gives you back the control you usually lack in the flurry of &#8220;everyone&#8217;s asking me to do stuff&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h2>Make a list of why you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re doing<\/h2>\n<p>A PM\u2019s work life can be hectic, disorganized, and frustrating a lot of the time. It\u2019s easy to forget <em>why<\/em> you\u2019re even doing what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s good to remind yourself every now and then why you even got into it in the first place:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You like making things<\/li>\n<li>You like creating functional and beautiful products<\/li>\n<li>You like working with the people who make it all happen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is to remind yourself that you like doing what you do. You\u2019re also good at it.<\/p>\n<p>Now that that\u2019s established, remind yourself what you want the end result of all of it to be.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who are you creating these products for?<\/li>\n<li>Who\u2019s using them?<\/li>\n<li>What do you want them to think and feel and achieve when they do?<\/li>\n<li>Do you think your end users would be proud of you over the way you\u2019ve done things so far?<\/li>\n<li>Could you listen more to the people you\u2019re doing it all for?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The purpose of this thinking is to realize that you\u2019re not building a product for <em>yourself<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re building a product for your customers. They need to be the main people who benefit from it. Your goal is to build a product so awesome and valuable that users are willing to pay for it and remain loyal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5963\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5963\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5963\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Customer-Service-Lesson-1.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"432\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hyken.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Customer-Service-Lesson.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shep Hyken<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In order to do that, you need their feedback, and change what needs to be changed for <em>them<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Next time you get frustrated at what customers want not aligning with what you want, remind yourself who you\u2019re doing it <em>for<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>Let your baby make mistakes<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s ok to be a little protective of your baby.<\/p>\n<p>However, you can\u2019t keep it all to yourself, unchanged by the outside environment forever.<\/p>\n<p>Much like real babies, you need to raise and mold your product to be able to survive out there. Eventually, it needs to go and do great things for someone else.<\/p>\n<p>Outside influence, feedback, and constructive criticism will only make your product stronger.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll be much more proud of what you\u2019ve built in the end.<\/p>\n<p><em>Want more product tips? Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/best-product-management-certifications\/\">top product management certifications<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-img aligncenter\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa.png\" alt=\"Canny free trial\" width=\"1300\" height=\"642\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(5705808, 'e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa', {\"region\":\"na1\"}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a product manager, it&#8217;s natural for you to feel like your product is your &#8220;baby&#8221;. However, being overprotective isn&#8217;t good for you or the product. Here&#8217;s how you can make sure not to get too attached.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-management"],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":"Eric Hoppe","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6726,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions\/6726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}