Clear Signs Your Product Leader Needs Help ASAP
If you’re at the helm of a product-led organization, it’s important that you recognize the signs that your product leaders and managers need extra support, whether it’s because they’re in over their heads or because you want to invest in their potential. And knowing what to look for isn’t just about spotting the cracks – it’s about patching the dam before it bursts.
Whether external triggers are shaking up the way your company operates or internal shifts are creating new challenges, there are a few telltale signs that your product manager/leader might require serious help (like yesterday).
In today’s article, I’ll identify external and internal triggers that threaten a product practice and, as a result, your product managers’ and leaders’ ability to create effective outcomes for the org.
Why It’s Crucial to Spot the Signs of a Struggling Product Manager
Knowing how to spot the red flags isn't just about fixing immediate issues – it's about ensuring the long-term success of the team, the leader, and the organization as a whole. When you’re able to quickly identify threats and issues, it's helpful across several dimensions, including:
Preventing Escalation: Addressing issues early prevents them from snowballing into larger problems. It's like fixing a small leak before it becomes a flood—nipping problems in the bud saves time, resources, and potentially catastrophic outcomes.
Maintaining Productivity: A leader struggling with overwhelming tasks or unclear priorities can lead to team-wide confusion and decreased productivity. Identifying these signs allows for interventions that keep the team on track.
Preserving Direction and Strategy: In times of upheaval, like with market disruptions or leadership changes, maintaining a clear direction is vital. Recognizing signs of a struggling product leader ensures the ship stays the course despite a turbulent environment.
Leadership Development: Supporting a product leader in need is a proactive investment in their growth. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement and shows that the organization values its leaders' development.
Enhancing Team Morale and Engagement: A product manager who feels overwhelmed or disconnected can inadvertently affect team morale. By addressing their needs, you're also ensuring the well-being and engagement of the entire team.
Signs That Indicate Your Product Leader’s Headed for Trouble
External Triggers
External triggers refer to events or circumstances that originate outside of an individual or a team but have a significant impact on their environment, work dynamics, or goals. These triggers can come from changes in the broader industry landscape, shifts in company strategy due to the arrival of new executives, reorganizations within the company, market disruptions, mergers or acquisitions, or changes in the competitive landscape. Here’s what that might look like:
Leadership Changes: When higher-ups or key leaders get promoted, demoted, or replaced, it often leads to alterations in strategies, goals, and team structures. This has a ripple effect on what and how work gets done.
Company Reorganizations: Restructuring within the organization, such as departmental changes or shifts in reporting structures, can heavily influence how teams operate and collaborate. If 2023 taught us anything, this sort of shake-up has a huge impact on teams.
Market Disruptions: Changes in the market—new technology, emerging competitors, or significant shifts in customer behavior—can force companies to adapt quickly to stay competitive. Just think about the Twitter rollercoaster of 2023, or the FinTech drama that created waves across so many industries.
Mergers or Acquisitions: Bringing in new companies or merging with others can drastically alter company culture, workflows, and product strategies.
Internal Triggers
Internal triggers, in contrast, originate from within the team or the product leader/manager. They represent indicators or signals that something might be amiss within the functioning or dynamics of the team, department, or leadership. Here’s what that might look like:
Overwhelm and Lack of Clarity Around Priorities: When a leader seems swamped with work, struggles to manage tasks, or can't clearly define priorities, it's a sign of trouble. It indicates that the workload might be unmanageable or that there's confusion about what needs to be focused on. If your product leader seems chronically overwhelmed, treats everything like a fire drill, or appears to always be busy (but you aren’t sure what they’re busy with), they probably need some support.
Focus on Outputs Instead of Outcomes: Instead of emphasizing the impact of work or the results achieved, a leader might be fixated on completing tasks or ticking off items on a checklist. This suggests a lack of understanding of how their efforts contribute to broader goals or outcomes, and they might benefit from some coaching to build their strategic muscle.
Disconnect from Customers: In a product-focused role, losing touch with customer stories, anecdotes, or feedback can signal a lack of customer interaction. It might indicate that the team is not closely engaging with or understanding the needs and experiences of the end-users. Everyone may talk about customer centricity, but if you haven’t heard a funny or touching customer story in a while, your product team probably isn’t interacting with them as much as they could be.
In Conclusion
Understanding the internal and external triggers faced by product leaders helps organizations anticipate challenges, proactively address underlying issues, and ensure the team operates at its best. Paying attention to these red flags is a great way to intervene and get your product leaders and managers the support they need to be effective in their roles.
At Tuckpoint, our consultants are also coaches who take Empowered Execution pretty seriously. Contact us if you want help training your product leaders and teams to embrace new practices and frameworks that comprise a productive operating model.
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