When I first joined WhatsApp as head of product, I was terrified. I had a once-in-a-career opportunity — to work on a product I loved and learn from a very different product culture than I was used to — and I was worried I’d mess it up.
Were there aspects or context that helped you feel more confident sharing your vulnerabilities? For example, you had been an executive in Insta, FB for several years, had a lot of proven success. I wonder if you would have approached it differently if you were brand new to the company group?
Probably the biggest thing that helped me share my vulnerabilities was practice --- just the fact that I often try to share what's in my mind has helped me get more comfortable doing it. I also try to make sure it's part of a balanced picture -- that I'm also talking about what I'm excited about, what I'm bringing to the table, etc -- and all of that took a lot of practice to get comfortable sharing too.
Wow very courageous. Did you end it there with fears or lead to hope? Usually when you hear leader introductions you learn about who they are and how they have the best interest of the product, org, mission in mind to be the beginning of earning trust.
Absolutely love this. I also live by this principle - trust in people you work with. My ability to build personal relationship with colleagues has helped me reach where I am right now. I believe that this skill is all the more important for a PM. Thanks for sharing.
My initial take was "definitely!" But I also have a bias built from working in very open environments for years, which may not match the culture everywhere.
I guess what I'd say is I would definitely recommend opening with something personally authentic when talking with a peer or partner (and I'd generally put clients into this bucket), and I would try the same when speaking with leadership -- but I'd also treat it as an experiment, and see how it feels after you've done it a few times.
And in the interest of transparency, I also know that I personally would also look for ways to be "personal" without talking about "weaknesses" -- even if those weaknesses are just in my own head.
Love it Ami - very clear and actionable! thx for writing this.
Were there aspects or context that helped you feel more confident sharing your vulnerabilities? For example, you had been an executive in Insta, FB for several years, had a lot of proven success. I wonder if you would have approached it differently if you were brand new to the company group?
Probably the biggest thing that helped me share my vulnerabilities was practice --- just the fact that I often try to share what's in my mind has helped me get more comfortable doing it. I also try to make sure it's part of a balanced picture -- that I'm also talking about what I'm excited about, what I'm bringing to the table, etc -- and all of that took a lot of practice to get comfortable sharing too.
Wow very courageous. Did you end it there with fears or lead to hope? Usually when you hear leader introductions you learn about who they are and how they have the best interest of the product, org, mission in mind to be the beginning of earning trust.
Love this! Thank you so much! Reading this right in time as I am starting on my new team.
Absolutely love this. I also live by this principle - trust in people you work with. My ability to build personal relationship with colleagues has helped me reach where I am right now. I believe that this skill is all the more important for a PM. Thanks for sharing.
Would you still recommend opening with vulnerability if I'm not the one in the leadership position, i.e. I'm talking to a leader, or even a client?
My initial take was "definitely!" But I also have a bias built from working in very open environments for years, which may not match the culture everywhere.
I guess what I'd say is I would definitely recommend opening with something personally authentic when talking with a peer or partner (and I'd generally put clients into this bucket), and I would try the same when speaking with leadership -- but I'd also treat it as an experiment, and see how it feels after you've done it a few times.
And in the interest of transparency, I also know that I personally would also look for ways to be "personal" without talking about "weaknesses" -- even if those weaknesses are just in my own head.
Love this ami