Self-motivation — A guide for Product Managers

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

TLDR:

1. Product managers need a very high level of self-motivation to achieve their goals and be successful.
2. Staying motivated at all times is not easy, because product management is a selfless role, product managers are the first to take the blame, not all products they ship are successful
3. At the same time, self-motivation is very important, especially for product managers. Influencing stakeholders, managing multiple projects, and having responsibility without authority needs a person to be highly self-motivated.
4. In this article, I share some secrets that have helped me stay motivated despite the fast pace of my product management job.

It’s that time of the year: the product team is recognising and rewarding the best performers of the year.

I’m sure you’ll be one of the awardees.

And the award goes to….

Not me.

Instead, a newcomer (whom you think doesn’t do the job half as good as you) gets the award.

I am feeling dejected and depressed. I am questioning everything — the awards selection process, my manager’s intentions, the politics, the company’s existence.

Finally, I doubt my ability, question if I deserve the award (or anything at all), and ask myself — why I even exist.

In such situations, self-motivation drops to zero.

There are many more reasons that kill my motivation as a product manager. I share a few of them below.

Why do product managers lose motivation:

1. Product management is a selfless role. A great product manager will do many things to empower others. They give more than they expect to get in return. Unless they’re mentally (super) strong, it is tough to stay positive and motivated in this environment.
2. Product managers are typically the first to take the blame and last to take recognition. And blame doesn’t feel as good as recognition.
3. Shipping products/features that are not successful — is common in a typical PM’s life. But, it hurts. Every time. If it happens too many times or for too long, it might lead to low self-motivation.
4. Doing work that is repetitive, low quality, or not creating impact usually leads to frustration and stress.
5. Working hard, delivering results, but not getting opportunities to grow vertically or horizontally leads to self-doubt and decreases motivation to carry on with the same dedication.

Why is self-motivation essential, especially for product managers:

1. Product managers spend a large chunk of their day influencing stakeholders, leading meetings, unblocking engineers. These activities are time-consuming and draining. Unless the PM is highly self-motivated, excited and enthusiastic about her work, she will not be able to perform these activities effectively.
2. PM’s (need to) work on multiple things at the same time. Most of those things deserve a high level of attention, and the level of attention can be high only if motivation is high.
3. Product managers have significant responsibilities with little to no authority. This situation demands that PMs use interpersonal skills (aka charm) to convince others and get shit done. If you’re not motivated you’ll be unable to convince yourself to do what you’re supposed to. Forget convincing others to do what you want.

How to have high self-motivation

Do something about it

More often than not, you will easily recognise the instances where you lack self-motivation.

What you do then, is your choice.

You could either ignore it/do nothing about it or get up, take charge and do something.

I always choose the latter and do one or more of the below.

Have a “why” and do what it takes to get there

1. Create long term goals (aka your “why”). Do it for both professional and personal aspirations.
2. Write them down. If you want to achieve a goal, you need to write it down.
3. Create a plan, even if it is not a great one, to meet those goals.

Every time you’re feeling low, refer to your “why”. Then, modify your plan, and do whatever it takes to stay true to it.

Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.

James Clear

Talk to users. Often

If users share positive feedback about your product, be happy and celebrate.

If they don’t like your product, then think of better ways to create products that users love.

Both outcomes will provide you with a high level of excitement and motivation.

Choose the right problem

Work on products (or projects) that are important to you or challenge you or both. The quality of problems that you work on has a powerful impact on the level of self-motivation

Choose problems that are important to you, because:

Unfortunately, doing this practically is not straightforward.

So, the way I tackle this is by having an honest and open relationship with my manager. If I do not feel challenged enough, I let him know and ask for better, more exciting tasks. If he doesn’t have anything good, I talk to other colleagues and ask what they’re working on. If it’s interesting, I work with my manager to find a way to participate in the “interesting” task.

It works 💯

Make your goals public. Ask for help

Share your goals with someone whom you hold in high regard. Research shows that those who share their goals with the right people are more committed to and self-motivated to achieve their goals.

Once you’ve shared your goals with others, then ask for help. Find experts and ask them how you reach your goals quicker.

If Barack Obama can do it, so can you.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.”

Barack Obama

So there you have it — the top tricks that help me boost my self-motivation despite tackling the typical responsibilities of a product manager.

Parting thought:

Motivation gets you started, but discipline keeps you going.

Jim Rohn

Motivation is essential, but it is effective only if you fuel it with a disciplined approach.

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