4 Practices Product Teams Can Take From Archery To Hit The Mark

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How do you get the perfect shot in archery? It requires your bow’s sight to be properly tuned and aligned when you plan to release it. You should bring back the bow to the same spot each time and release it in the same exact motion for hitting the right target. But many times, one of the above-mentioned variables is off, and you just don’t make it to the target. If you want to be the best, you have to determine the things to adjust. 

Product Strategy

This is a similar situation to the product teams. Product manager headhunters always try to hit the bull’s eye. The foremost target of product teams is to meet the unmet needs of the users. 

Having said that, here we have come up with the four practices that product teams can learn from archery to hit the mark.  

Target Identification

An archer always has the target in his mind. Likewise, your project should have a clearly articulated problem. Your team members should know their aim so they can think of the solution. Form an outline of the product and its details. For instance – It should include the problems associated with the product, context, and the desired results. 

You can take the help of separate folders to set your goals. In this way, your stakeholders can keep an eye on them. The stakeholders can also choose to give editing access to the files only to the product owner or manager to reach the desired outcomes. Identifying the targets guide you through the product plan and gives you an idea of efficient prioritization. It helps to keep track of your progress and identify risks. 

Decide Your Shot

Individuals prepare a checklist before doing anything. But do you know that preparing a mental checklist is also important? Yes, it is. Archers prepare a mental checklist before releasing every arrow to the target. In the same way, product teams can also ensure to keep important steps in mind before they actually begin to execute the plan. Some questions they can ask themselves might be – Do we have the right software or feedback mechanism to check whether we have reached our goals? Are our communication platforms and communication mechanisms intact to give correct information to the stakeholders and users? 

These are just examples of questions. You can ask more and see what works best for your team. 

Measure The Gap

The product release is great. But don’t just stop after releasing the product. The effective and successful product teams measure their success and how close they are to achieving their targets. Reviewing the analytics and feedback of the customers is very important to see whether they are successful in the right terms or need a few adjustments. Peter Drucker, an Australian-American management consultant, says that it is difficult to improve the things you can’t measure. And without thinking about this, your team will face a hard time knowing whether they have made a good product or just an average one. 

Try Again

Sometimes, it becomes difficult to introduce improvement or immediate iteration to the product you just shipped. You may make a slight improvement. But it is always advisable to make changes to the product and give it another shot. 

What More Can You Do To Hit The Mark With Your Product Teams? 

Teamwork And Independence

Do you think that archery is a solo sport? If yes, you might need to think again. It could be both a solo and a team sport. Everyone experiences good and bad days. It teaches you the qualities of resilience and having realistic expectations from the solo perspective. A team, however, is bound to face failures if it functions as a group of people shooting alone and hoping to get the highest scores in archery. The best teams are those who function as a team and know about the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. 

What is the difference between a good product and the great product? The difference lies in how well the teams understand the products and the values they are giving to their customers. For instance – The headhunting firms NYC select the right product managers for your organization to get you the best results in the product market. By having set targets, good techniques, analyzing the reviews and the feedback, and making changes and improvements, your organization will definitely hit its targets as planned. 

Palarino Partners believe in building world-class product management teams for you. Our prime goal is to recruit the best product managers for private software companies. It helps them avoid the most costly expense – a mis-hire. It does not matter whether you have good sales or whether you are good at dealing with customers; not having a product means you don’t have a company. So, connect with us to avoid the mis-hire. Get in touch with us for more information.

Four Pillars of Product Leadership

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Many people refer to product management as the “everyday profession.” It is true to some extent. This field juggles many tasks at the same time. But you have to pass the topgrading interview to enter into this field. Sometimes you manage the “management” aspect; other times, it is the “leadership” one. And there are four pillars that form product leadership – Soft skills, Business acumen, Domain knowledge, technical skills. Let’s know how these pillars work along with each other. 

Team Leader Adressing team

The First Core Pillar Is Soft Skills 

The foremost skill required in the business world is soft skills. Product Managers need to have a strong set of soft skills to get the projects done in a timely manner. You can learn and be proficient in soft skills with time. Let us explain this briefly to you – 

Communicate actively with everyone ranging from developers to executives. It will make your work easier. Practice active listening and improve your writing skills. Furthermore, building solid relationships as people are the ones who build products and maintaining relationships with them is the key to success. Networking and forming cordial relationships with your peers and colleagues is the requirement of today’s time. 

You also have to be good in negotiations. It doesn’t mean that you have to be rude. You frequently negotiate with your boss and customers. And you learn to negotiate in the best manner with time. Negotiations are like win-win outcomes for both parties. So, with the help of good soft skills, you can negotiate better. 

Business Acumen Is Important

Successful products not only solve the needs of the customers but also reap huge profits. Therefore, product management recruiters need to have a thorough knowledge of business principles. It will make the decision-making process easy. Business acumen also includes the knowledge of product innovation strategy and processes, positioning, contract negotiation, to name a few. 

A Clear Understanding Of Domain Knowledge 

You must have a thorough knowledge of the industry in which you work. Out of the four pillars of product leadership, domain leadership is the only pillar that does not transfer from industry to industry. Thorough knowledge of your domain is a crucial requirement for creating a remarkable product. It is also beneficial when you think of transitioning jobs as organizations want to hire people having a wide range of experiences. It becomes quite difficult to have full knowledge of your domain. So, what are a few ways to acquire domain knowledge? Let’s find out. 

  • Pay attention to your customers and their feedback. 
  • Attend exhibitions and trade shows. 
  • Read trade publications like magazines and company blogs. 
  • Follow the industry experts. 

Technical And User Experience Skills 

Some people think that a Product Manager does not require technical skills; others think that having technical skills are very important. “Technical” is a broad term, and it includes the following areas – 

Technology – As a Product Manager, you need to understand the way your product is made. It does not mean that you should be doing the coding. Having a deep understanding of the technologies would be enough. Advantage of a Product Manager who is technology savvy 

  • It improves communication. 
  • You develop a better understanding of tech trends.
  • You positively accept the technical challenges.

User experience – The customer of today wants the best experience while using the products. They don’t want to settle for mediocre experiences. So, provide them with a delightful product to enhance their user experience. 

Product lifecycle – Product Managers should thoroughly know about the product’s life cycle starting from ideation to sales and marketing. You need to know the process of how the product is made to understand the development milestones and support your team in the right direction. 

There Is More To A Product As Defined By Product Leaders.

You cannot deny the importance of the above-mentioned four pillars in terms of building successful products. But is building the product enough? Not at all. The product leadership goes beyond the actual product. You need to consider the impact of the product at a global level.

Let us explain this more clearly. A few years ago, the above-mentioned four pillars would have been enough. But not anymore. In today’s digital world of technological advancements and artificial intelligence, your products do not just exist in the physical world but also in the virtual world. You can say that it is important for Product Managers to focus on social responsibility and security.  

To Sum It Up

Product leadership is not an easy profession as you have to gain a lot of knowledge in depth. It takes years of study and experience to master the four pillars of product leadership. Keep in mind to always work towards improving yourself to become the best product leader in your field. 

Palarino Partners build world-class product management teams. We put our prime focus on recruiting Product Managers for private software companies. It helps them avoid their most costly expense – a mis-hire. Get in touch with us for more information.

 
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