I once worked with a product manager who always had a smile on this face. He was a friend to everyone and always thought it was a beautiful day. But he was not fully respected by his peers because he never prioritized work that had the best chance of being successful. Instead, he wasted a lot of time and money by blindly assuming the roadmap would work out as planned. A lot of times he was wrong. He only looked ahead at sunshine.
I also once worked with a woman who was so mired in the dysfunction of the organizational reality that she never pressed for what was ambitious and right. What was new and exciting could never be pursued because it had never been done before. The weight of the organization and its plodding pace crushed her. She had no hope. So she only looked behind at clouds.
Both were product leaders with meaningful skills. Both were well-intentioned. But both were limited in their success by their single-focus worldview.
The most successful leaders function with a healthy dose of forward-thinking optimism and down-to-earth realism. They look forward and behind. In fact, one study found that people with an optimistic realist personality type are often happier and more successful.
That is because these pragmatic minds know how to combine the positive outlook of an optimist with the sharp-eyed view of a realist.
Although the two individuals I worked with were uniquely single-minded, most of us are capable of seeing both sides of a situation and finding a way forward. In fact, I believe being an optimistic realist will do more than help you move forward -- it will make you a great product manager. Here is why:
You know the power of a product plan
Product managers are the ones setting the course and adjusting the sails. When your team hits rough waters, you do not expect that they will magically turn things around. And you do not waste time grumbling about what they did wrong. Instead, you identify clear action steps to tackle the problem and move forward together.
You are transparent with your team
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to shelter the product team from looming problems. Optimistic realists know that you can be transparent about the issues at hand, while also being the encouraging force that gets your team back on track. That is because transparency leads to trust. Your honesty builds a greater work environment.
You understand your limitations
Optimistic realists know that they cannot do it all, but they also know that the team around them can help them accomplish so much more. Your greatest resources are the people you work with every day -- the engineers, the customer success managers, the marketing team. Be honest with them that you need help, and remain positive that they will help you come up with the solution.
You sense when it is time to reset
Times of crisis are opportunities to reflect on the big picture. But it is on you to make the final call when it's time to push the "reset" button. Always go back to your goals, and ask yourself the tough questions. Are we still on track? Have we lost sight of our vision?
Great teams build great products. So the next time a crisis hits, reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses -- then rally and pull from the people around you.
When your team sees you as an optimistic realist, they will likely adopt the attitude for themselves. You will encourage a workplace of critical thinkers who know there is a solution to every problem and work tirelessly until they find it.
Are you an optimistic realist?