*Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders* — Tom Peters # Summary Product Managers often don’t think enough about leadership as a distinct skill set; instead they constrain it to stakeholder management, e.g. managing up, down, across the org. I believe leadership is central to a Product Manager’s role. Simply put, leadership in product requires 1) **clarity** in where the product needs to be, 2) **honesty** in where the product is today, and 3) a **plan** and the **inspiration** to close the gap. For me, a former Marine, leadership takes added meaning. I found myself placed into leadership positions early in life and those experiences continue to shape my approach to leading others. Leadership requires deep human connections to your people. This 2017 essay by Capt Worley does a great job communicating the intensity of those connections: [https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suQq4LP_#_luD287e1](https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suQq4LP_#_luD287e1). # Attributes ## 1. Self Aware Knows own strengths and weaknesses, centered, transparent, humble, authentic, and driven by values. References - [42 Effects You Should Know: Part 1 — 42courses.com](https://www.42courses.com/blog/home/2022/7/28/42-effects-you-should-know-part-1) - [Interesting Psychological Phenomena: The Pratfall Effect – Brescia University – Owensboro, Kentucky](https://www.brescia.edu/2017/06/pratfall-effect/) Quotes - “A leader’s number one responsibility is to define reality — General James Mattis - *It is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in. -- Ishmael, chapter 1, Moby Dick* ## 2. Inspirational Inspires and motivates others, tells a compelling product story & vision with conviction, connects product goals to each person on the team References - [[Workbook] Advanced Influence](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z7J6CSrLEFRRcq4_6m1XFGDjLYOfcSnfyWGdJVWbxWg/edit) Quotes - “Leaders are dealers in hope” — Napolean - “As a leader, every time you’re talking, you have to be talking values” — General James Mattis - “Leadership means reaching the souls of your troops” — General James Mattis ## 3. Compassionate Cares deeply and serves the needs of the team, objectively assess situations, knows when to take charge, when to delegate, and how to grow new leaders From [The First Principles of Product Management](https://blackboxofpm.com/the-first-principles-of-product-management-ea0e2f2a018c) ## 4. Gets Things Done Shows up, seeks responsibility, makes sound and timely decisions, bias for action and sets the pace, creates a shared sense of purpose throughout team Organizing the work — while not getting lost in the sauce - [Leaders as Decision Architects](https://hbr.org/2015/05/leaders-as-decision-architects) - [Cascading OKRs vs. aligning OKRs](https://www.tability.io/okrs/cascading-vs-aligning-okrs) - [Cascading OKRs at scale](https://cwodtke.medium.com/cascading-okrs-at-scale-5b1335812a32) - [Ringelmann effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringelmann_effect) - keep your teams small Additional reading - [https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suE4ZLL_#_lu4YtUbU](https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suE4ZLL_#_lu4YtUbU) - [https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suL4Lkq6](https://sean.horgan.net/d/_d3H4GIs7zuo/_suL4Lkq6) Quotes - *Your calendar never lies about what really is most important to you. -- Michael Bungay Stanier, Zen Habits* ## 5. Thrives in Ambiguity & Chaos Unafraid to take on challenges and make hard decisions with incomplete information, mitigates risks, embraces ambiguity and increases clarity. Additional reading - [Leadership Lessons From the Shackleton Expedition (Published 2011)](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/business/leadership-lessons-from-the-shackleton-expedition.html) # References - [[Facilitator Guide] Team Values](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-7wO4UfOWkkL4JmIFj9Ida93WW_6Z6EXKn8ncgKI2YY/edit#heading=h.x58w03m82b3) - [https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1317316211844083713?s=09](https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1317316211844083713?s=09) - [https://www.reforge.com/blog/crossing-the-canyon-product-manager-to-product-leader?s=09](https://www.reforge.com/blog/crossing-the-canyon-product-manager-to-product-leader?s=09) - [[Yow! 2019] 3 insights from 4 years at Spotify](https://www.slideshare.net/jchyip/yow-2019-3-insights-from-4-years-at-spotify-205092986) - [Is Being a ‘T-shaped’ Person Still Enough? ](https://medium.com/re-write/is-being-a-t-shaped-person-still-enough-2d0b43073285) - [What is “autonomy” in the workplace context? | by Jason Yip | Medium](https://jchyip.medium.com/what-is-autonomy-in-the-workplace-context-e1969c6fbb49) Leadership principles 1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#13_Rules_of_Leadership ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#13_Rules_of_Leadership) 2. [Creating Team Principles from Value](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13oYfRTqnM6JETIcKyy3eAQjKxlHO_zaRu6hZxFTYWB0/edit#slide=id.g6f4f5bb6e2_0_0) [internal to Alphabet] - [Managers and Leaders: Are They Different? (HBR Classic)](https://hbr.org/2004/01/managers-and-leaders-are-they-different)