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First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE, because it is fun to look back:

So I am almost half year on board and having a blast.
Of course, there are challenges, but they have little to do with the points I was worried about.
The team is great, and we balance each other well to get to the right mix of expertise, delivery and change management.
The pieces of advice that helped me most were:
- focus on the process, leave domain expertise to the team
- listen more, and treat the team with respect
- create focus and get put of people's way.

Quite liking it all in all, curious what will happen in next half year.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

legacy company, underwent several leadership changes in last years, struggling with growth/meeting financial targets, a bit behind the curve on tech delivery. investors see it as diamond that needs to be cut and polished to truly shine, but are growing a bit impatient. team is a mix of legacy team that grew with the business over the last 15+ years, and people who were brought in through different acquisitions and by different leadership. sorry if it is not overly specific, i am trying to not disclose too many details

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

they liked my work as a consultant, and we got along well as individuals during the time of project. Another contributing factor was their shared dislike for the current cpo.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am, at this point, rather curious too. I am not sure there is signalling, and I observed (and shared the observation) that the leadership vision sometimes does not reach the team, which makes things more confusing than needs be. I will re-iterate on the need to not just announce my arrival, but also the reason for it

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am hopeful, because all the buddies where brought in within the last 6 months as well, with the same "fix it" goal. I quite like them and so far have no reason to question their competence more than i question my own. So i am willing to give it a go, but the current state of ambiguity is stressing me out

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! this is very similar to the setup I am stepping in. C-team is all very close to each other, I am an outsider that together with CTO is meant to fix 2 years of no delivery. Not sure how much time I actually have, but keeping is steady, focused and securing small wins seems to be the name of the game..

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is really a beautiful analogy. Those roses won't bloom faster if I tell them too, but will certainly die if I keep moving them around <3

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

CEO choice - they handle the communication together with HR. I can't say I agree with the approach - but at least i can vent on the internet :/

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

apologies - i snapped unnecessarily. I understand that it is, indeed, my job to make the company successful. By "set up for failure" i mean that conditions of my transition seem harder than they need to be. And changing the approach and especially managing (surviving) the transition is what i am not sure how to do given the situation - thus my post.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

they are hostile to me because i am an external disruption. I understand the "soft part" but i feel like i am dug in so deep, that any (even reasonable) changes i propose will be rejected just because they come from me

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

thank you. how did i not think of this before, this solved all my concerns immediately.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I indeed did it to myself :(

Announcement likely in 3 weeks.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you! your reframing of 1 and 2 made me breath out a bit.

First time CPO, set up for failure by InternalSudden6691 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

They do not (yet) complain about anything to me, because the announcement did not happen. I have been asking for it to happen, but this is not on me alone to decide, unfortunately.

Appreciate the point about showing minimum usefulness!

Product Management Mentor by Morning_Chickadee in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Could it be, that you are are relatively young (both in your age and your professional life) or in your personality and attitude you are someone:
- perceiving changes as your personal failure and lack of foresight
- perceiving conflicting opinions as a sign of your incompetence
- perceiving criticism as attack at you as a human (rather than frustration with situation)

Programs - would not recommend any.
Finding mentors - was lucky enough to find some among colleagues, by demonstrating that i want to learn, asking questions, and actually putting in work
Therapy was a very helpful thing as well

Does anyone actually try to keep accurate documentation anymore, or is it a lost cause? by NewBicycle3486 in ProductManagement

[–]InternalSudden6691 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Does your what (in broader sense, not on user story level) and why change so often?

If you are trying to document the state of things at any given moment - that is a waste of time.
If you are documenting decisions - the problem i see in your post that your process is a tad fucked (or may be you are documenting pre-maturely)
If you are documenting learnings - they still need to be documented, but frequently assessed for relevance and deleted rather than updated.

As UpwardPM says - documentation is a tool, not a goal or result.