Some time ago I had a check-in with one of my product managers who could never be faulted for having too much creative energy. We were kicking off the year, and they were introspecting on the team they had and where they might take the team and product in the coming year. The product manager began to rattle off possible road-map items one after the other. Each possibility was compelling, and I was pumped. I wanted the team to build all the ideas!
The product manager then asked me, “Which idea do you think we should do? Any I'm missing?”
I knew better than to fall for the ol’ escalating product road-map trap.
“All these options sound great to me for one reason or another,” I said, “but it's not my job to pick between them. That's your job. It's my job to ensure that you pick the right objective that allows you to clearly pick between them!”
I felt like Galadriel rejecting Frodo's offer of Sauron's ring in Lord of the Rings. I'd passed this test and could remain chief product officer.
You see, generating and discussing options is always the fun part, but deciding between them correctly, well, that's the rub, isn't it? That's where clear leaders often leave the indecisive leaders behind. Here's a quick reference:
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