Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a very famous book. As the name suggests, the book covers 7 Habits that make you better and highly effective.
I haven’t read this book yet.
But today, I was reading about the 7 habits that are covered in this book.
Just by reading about these habits on the internet, I could relate to them and get thought of how important they are for agile product managers or agile product owners.
Now when I say product manager, it’s the same as a product owner. Basically, Scrum does not have the role of product manager. The word manager is not used in the Scrum guide and hence the same person is known as product owner in such teams.
The 7 habits listed in this book are:
- Be Proactive
- Begin with the End in Mind
- Put First Things First
- Think Win-Win
- Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
- Synergize
- Sharpen the Saw
These 7 habits can definitely change someone’s life if the person is able to inculcate them in his life. But these habits teach us to be more agile too. They help us develop the agile mindset!
Especially if you’re a product owner or a product manager, then these 7 habits are definitely for you.
The 7 habits are further divided into 3 core areas
A. Independence
B. Interdependence
C. Continuous Improvement
Let us deep dive into these 3 areas and the 7 habits to understand how agile product managers can inculcate these habits at work.
Independence
The first 3 habits mentioned by Stephen Covey help one become independent in life. For agile product managers, these 3 habits help them become develop SELF-MASTERY.
#1. Be Proactive
A good product manager is more proactive and less reactive.
The product manager role is full of varying responsibilities & the work a product manager does results in the success or failure of the product.
The product manager cannot sit back and relax. He needs to be proactive.
If the product manager sees a red flag, that should be raised as soon as he discovers it. He cannot keep waiting till the end of the product development lifecycle to raise it.
He should not even wait for the sprint to complete to raise it. Concerns should be raised then and there. Whether be it raising a red flag, taking approvals, updating the backlog, or any small thing, the product manager should be proactive.
This habit of being proactive helps the agile product manager to take initiative!
#2. Begin with the End in Mind
The entire product roadmap is built by the product manager and the roadmap should be aligned to the product vision. And the product vision should be highly aligned to the business vision.
If you don’t know what is your destination, you won’t be able to select the right path. You would keep wandering.
A product manager should not be wandering and much be focused.
If a new sprint is starting, the product manager should know the deliverables at the end of the sprint.
If a new feature is being developed, the product manager should know how the feature will look like when it is completed, how the feature will enhance the product and how many users will be benefitted.
The end goal should be crystal-clear. This habit of beginning with the end in mind helps the product manager to know the GOALS!
#3. Put First Things First
One of the most important activities that a product manager does is prioritizing.
The most critical bug should be solved first.
The most urgent feature should be released first.
The most needed update should be released first.
You cannot wait till the end.
Prioritizing the backlog not only helps in delivering the key features on time but also in increasing the profit.
The product manager should keep the ROI in mind while prioritizing. ROI is not always in dollar value, it’s also measured in the happiness of your customers and end-users.
This habit of putting first things first helps the product manager to prioritize!
Interdependence
A product manager has to interact and work with multiple stakeholders in cross-functional teams. But no one reports directly to the product manager.
So the product manager doesn’t make people work for him but ideally works with them in crafting a kickass product.
It becomes extremely essential for the product manager to build good rapport and relationships with all the stakeholders to get the work done and influence decisions.
The product manager role demands one to be both independent and interdependent. Independent for the 3 habits that we discussed above. Interdependent for the 3 habits that we will discuss now.
It’s a blend of individual work and teamwork.
Working with others yet being independent is an art!
#4. Think Win-Win
As a product manager, one must think win-win for all the stakeholders. Both the internal & external stakeholders should be benefitted from the decisions made by the product person.
Perfect situations don’t exist. A product manager has to ensure that amidst the imperfections of the scenario, all the stakeholders win.
This can be done by aligning the various teams internally and aligning the internal teams with the client’s teams.
This habit of thinking win-win for all helps the product managers in arriving at mutually beneficial solutions.
#5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Empathy is the biggest strength of a product manager.
Only when the product manager actually understands the situation of the stakeholders, he will be able to serve the real purpose of his role.
This habit helps in understanding the problem in detail and therefore helps the product manager in figuring out the right solution.
When the product manager is aware of what is the situation and knows what he is doing, he is able to explain it to others.
Empathic listening results help in developing a problem-solving attitude.
#6. Synergize
Collaboration is the key to the success of Agile teams. A product manager, as we already discussed is not managing people directly.
A product manager plays a key role in bringing people on the same page. People skills are something that helps the product manager do so.
Syncing up with teams regularly is very essential in this role. Be it discussing the progress, sharing calendars, updating the statuses of the tasks, or sharing best practices, the product manager acts as the key player who enables this.
Hence, the product manager or product owner is also known as the heart of the agile team. The team synergizes well when the product manager has the habit of synergizing.
Continuous Improvement
Life stops when we stop improving.
The world is rapidly moving ahead. Technology stacks are constantly evolving. New products are getting launched.
Consumers are becoming more aware and the ways businesses used to operate are now changing.
With so much happening around us, one thing that we must always remember is the fact that if we don’t improve on an ongoing basis, we would become obsolete.
In order to sustain in today’s world, the habit of continuous improvement is as important as being independent & interdependent habits.
#7. Sharpen the Saw
Product managers are dealing with various kinds of activities. Even if we go by the definition of product management, a product manager’s role is a blend of UX, Tech, and Business.
And all these 3 areas are evolving.
It becomes very important for a product manager to continuously improve by learning new skills and tools.
In order to make the agile implementation successful, the product manager should be himself agile too.
Learning is a never-ending process and especially if you’re in tech, you cannot afford to stop learning new things.
This habit of sharpening the saw helps the product manager in becoming sustainable in their career and living an effective lifestyle.
Conclusion
I wonder that just by reading about these 7 habits on the internet, I was able to write this blog post and share my thoughts on how these 7 habits can help product managers.
What will happen if one genuinely reads and understand this book?
I am ordering this book today itself & will read it soon (sharpening my saw)
By the way, have you read it?
If not, you can also order your copy here – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
