Many people think their constitution & circumstances are such that only something novel & powerful can help improve things. They say "sure, it worked for you, but it would never for me", without proper evaluation.
In reality, this is just a defense tactic used by the ego.
On #2
It's fine to get inspiration from wherever we can, but there are two problems with *fixating* on Bezos, Gates, Jobs, Musk, etc:
A) Achieving their level of "success" is highly overrated (you will realize this at some point in your life, it's only a matter of when, not if)
B) Even if you don't believe A above and want to be just like them, you are likely better off diversifying what you learn.
Mimicking Musk is not going to make you Musk.
Among other things, it's because hundreds of thousands of other people are also mimicking Musk. Be different.
On #3
Some people (often the smart ones) tacitly convince themselves that they should only try a new idea if it's proven to be 100% correct.
What they don't realize is that this is just their ego's defense mechanism—an ego that is threatened by any change, even positive change.
Some ppl are afraid of doing concrete work towards their goal. They are afraid of the success that will bring, or afraid they will be exposed as frauds
But they can't admit that to themselves. So to feel productive, they are constantly learning, never "ready", never doing
Reason #17 why PM is different at Megacorps vs. Startups:
At a Megacorp, you want to avoid False Negative Products i.e. products you *should* have built, but did not.
At a Startup, you want to avoid False Positive Products i.e. products you should *not* have built, but you did.
Am I implying that PM at Megacorps is "worse" than PM at Startups?
Or that the Megacorps that try to avoid False Negative Products (FNPs) are wrong?
Or that Startups must move slower to avoid False Positive Products (FPPs)?
Not at all
There is no One Right Answer for everyone
When you are a Megacorp, it is smart & rational to avoid False Negative Products (FNP), particularly in an area which could be a meaningful threat to your core business further down the road.
Why?
The Upside-Downside framework answers that for us:
Includes:
Solve THE problem
3 types of product leaders
Levels of product work
Getting work done
“I don’t know”
Good people, bad managers
Customer segmentation
LinkedIn Envy
On communication
Important definitions
Life-changing books
& much more..
👇🏾
A story that often plays out when we are not rigorous enough about the importance of the customer problem our product solves
It is important for you as a startup founder or CEO, product manager, or a product leader to deeply understand these types, as you make decisions on whom to hire or whom to work for.
Thread👇🏾
First, why it is important that we understand these types:
- for startup founders: so you can hire the right type of product leader
- for PM leaders: for self-awareness & combating imposter syndrome
- for PMs: to pick right type of manager & plan your own leadership journey