Colin Powell on Leadership
Insights from "It Worked For Me" on product management and leadership.
I recently read “It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership” by Colin Powell with Tony Koltz.
For the younger generation among us: Colin Powell was an American general and Secretary of State twenty years ago. He was both admired and controversial.
You may or may not agree with his political views, but he was certainly an effective leader.
Some of his insights from the book are very applicable to technology companies and product organizations. Let's take a look:
It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
When the going gets tough, take a step back. Sometimes things look overwhelming. Sleep on it for a night. Your brain will calm down and find new solutions.
Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls,
your ego goes with it.
There are many situations where this applies:
You may be a founder and your business idea fails.
You may have to sunset a feature that you personally like.
Experiments will fail.
You may be laid off some time in your life.
Don't take it too seriously. Sometimes it is for the greater good. In any case, you will get over it. It is not about you, it is about the thing.
You can’t make someone else’s choices.
You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
Be clear about your responsibilities and the responsibilities of others. Respect them. Do what you need to do to be successful and don't let other people who have no responsibility get in the way.
This applies to product decisions, organizational decisions, and career decisions.
Check small things.
Build a culture where people pay attention to detail. If small things slip, bigger things will eventually slip. If the bar for acceptable behavior is lowered, all behavior will eventually be lowered. Pay attention to the little things.
Speaking of small things:
Never Walk Past a Mistake; make on-the-spot corrections. First, and most obviously, correcting a mistake shows attention to detail and reinforces standards within an organization. Second, it teaches aspiring leaders to have the moral courage to speak out when standards are not being met.
For the same reason as above.
On reports from others, ask: 1. Tell me what you know. 2. Tell me what you don't know. 3. Then tell me what you think. 4. Always distinguish which from which.
Have a standard way of looking at things. Distinguish between opinions and observations (not facts!). Train people to think the same way by asking the same questions over and over. People will adjust their reporting and thinking.
Whenever the question reaches the surface of their mind-"Umm, you think we should call someone?" —the answer is almost always "Yes, and five minutes ago." Also so that senior leaders can prepare if the choose to.
This is good general advice, and the interesting part is the last sentence. If something goes wrong, your boss or your boss's boss will have to deal with it. Prepare them, don't surprise them. So give them an early signal, let them consolidate several perspectives, keep them in the loop. Your boss will be grateful, even in the worst of times.
Beware First Reports, they are usually wrong. Wait for a second report.
While first reports are not always wrong, they are usually incomplete. It is still good to have them, but the whole picture will not be clear with just one report. Get an update, ask other sources, cross-check interpretations. Prepare for an initial report, but don't act immediately.
With regard to the press, remember:
They get to pick the question. You get to pick the answer.
You don't have to answer any question you don't want to.
Never answer hypothetical questions about the future.
Answers should be directed to the message you want readers/ viewers to get. The interviewers are not your audience.
They're doing their job. You're doing yours. But you're the only one at risk.
Do not answer any question containing a premise you dis- agree with
If trapped, be vague and mumble.
Never cough or shift your feet.
If under pressure, some of this may be useful for internal questions. In all cases, remember to get your message across and stay in control.
Avoid "The General Wants" syndrome—unless I really do.
Never claim that any of your superios want something unless they do. Never claim this for management, customers, or any other people. If (when!) people speak to them, it might turn out that they never wanted the thing, so you better come up with better ideas to convince people.
What I read
This is a separate section of this newsletter. I will list some of the best articles I have read on the Internet. They may or may not be related to the topic of this article. I will keep a list of the best articles (currently >700) at https://www.digital-product-management.com. These are today’s picks:
Customer Interview Questions: Essential customer interview questions to get deep insights from your research.
Types of Product Manager: An Exploration of Product Manager Archetypes.
Consequence Framing: When you frame your recommendation in a way that gets heard, you increase the chances it gets adopted.