Self-motivation - A guide for Product Managers

TLDR:

Product managers need to be self-motivated to achieve their goals and be successful. Self-motivation is critical as it helps with:

1. Influencing stakeholders without authority
2. Managing tens of parallel threads every day
3. Performing your job, while being selfless -  being first to take the blame, last to take credit

5 secrets to stay motivated:

1. Do something about it
2. Have a "why" and do what it takes to get there
3. Talk to users. Often
4. Choose the right problem
5. Make your goals public. Ask for help

It's that time of the year: the product team is recognising and rewarding the best performers of the year.

You're sure you'll be one of the awardees.

And the award goes to....

Not you!

Instead, a newcomer (whom you think doesn't do the job half as good as you) gets the award.

You are feeling dejected and depressed. You're questioning everything - the award, the selection  process, your manager's intentions, the politics, the company's existence.

Finally, you doubt your ability, question if you deserve the award (or anything at all), and ask yourself - "why do I even exist?"

And then, your motivation drops to zero.

There are many other reasons that attack a person's motivation. I share a few of them below.

Why do product managers lose motivation:

1. Product management is a selfless role. A great product manager will do many things to empower others. They give more than they expect to get in return. Unless they're mentally (super) strong, it is tough to stay positive and motivated in this environment.
2. Product managers are typically the first to take the blame and last to take recognition. And blame doesn't feel as good as recognition.
3. Shipping products that are not successful - is common. But, it hurts. Every time. If it happens too many times or for too long, it will lead to low self-motivation.
4. Doing work that is repetitive, low quality, or not creating impact usually leads to frustration and stress.
5. Working hard, delivering results, but not getting opportunities to grow leads to self-doubt and decreases motivation to carry on with the same dedication.

Why is self-motivation essential, especially for product managers:

1. Product managers spend a large chunk of their day influencing stakeholders, leading meetings, unblocking engineers. These activities are time-consuming and  mentally draining. Unless the PM is highly self-motivated, excited and enthusiastic about her work, she will not be able to perform these activities effectively.
2. Product managers work on multiple things at the same time. Everything deserves a high level of attention. A high level of attention is only possible if motivation is high.
3. Product managers have significant responsibilities with little to no authority. This situation demands that product managers use interpersonal skills (aka charm) to convince others and get shit done. If you're not motivated you'll be unable to convince yourself to do what you're supposed to. Forget convincing others to do what you want.

How to have high self-motivation

Do something about it

More often than not, you will easily recognise the instances where you lack self-motivation.

What you do then, is your choice.

You could either ignore it/do nothing about it or get up, take charge and do something.

I always choose the latter and do one or more of the below.

Remember the "why" behind what you're doing it

1. Always have (or create) long term goals (aka your"why"). Do it for both professional and personal aspirations.
2. Write them down. If you want to achieve a goal, you need to write it down.
3. Create a plan, even if it is not a great one, to meet those goals.

Every time you're feeling low, refer to your "why". Then, modify your plan, and do whatever it takes to stay true to it.

Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.
- James Clear

Talk to users. Often

If users love your product, you will be happy and celebrate.

If they don't like your product, think of new ideas to make them love your product.

Both outcomes will provide you with a high level of excitement and motivation.

Choose the right problem

Work on products (or projects) that are important to you or challenge you or both. The quality of problems that you work on has a powerful impact on the level of self-motivation

If you're unable to find good problems to solve, do this:

Have an honest and open relationship with your manager. When you don't have challenging problems to solve, let them know and ask for exciting tasks. If they don't have anything good, talk to other colleagues and ask what they're working on. If it's interesting, ask their my managers if you can participate in the "interesting" task.

It works almost every time.

Make your goals public. Ask for help

Share your goals with someone whom you hold in high regard. Research shows that those who share their goals with the right people are more likely to achieve their goals. And if you're meeting your goals, you will be motivated.

Once you've shared your goals with others, ask others (especially experts) for help.

If Barack Obama can do it, so can you.

"Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new."
- Barack Obama

So there you have it - the top tricks that help me boost my self-motivation despite tackling the typical responsibilities of a product manager.

Parting thought:

Motivation gets you started, but discipline keeps you going.
- Jim Rohn

Motivation is essential, but it is effective only if you fuel it with a disciplined approach.

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