You can do it! Sprint beyond your Imposter syndrome
+ hot takes from the recent Karachi Soch Cafe
Subha Bakhair Dosto
It's that time of the year again! The final quarter š«£
Q4 is a crucial time for Product Managers as we wrap up the year's projects, plan for the next year, and ensure our products are set up for success. But itās also the time when self-doubt can creep in as we reflect upon our past work. No matter how much has been achieved, PMs may feel like they could/should have done better. If you are also feeling that way, know that you are not alone! š„ Letās talk about ways to overcome this imposter syndrome!
Hereās what you can find in this newsletter:
Dealing with Imposter Syndrome as a Product Manager
Karachi Soch Cafe
Latest Sochology session
Latest Jobs
Dealing with Imposter Syndrome as a Product Manager
Although there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to overcome Imposter Syndrome, there are certain steps you can take to reduce your anxiety and eventually overcome it. Letās dive deeper!
Embrace Success:
Imposter Syndrome often emerges with success. If you're feeling it, chances are you're in a challenging role and out of your comfort zone. Obviously, you wonāt feel imposter syndrome while breathing or while sleeping. If you are having this feeling, you are doing something right and setting yourself up for success. Just keep doing it! [Crown]
Assess Authenticity:
It's okay to acknowledge that sometimes you might feel out of depth, especially in dynamic roles like product management. Take a moment to self-reflect: Are you avoiding responsibilities or procrastinating? Address any gaps honestly and step up where needed.Ā
Watch for Burnout (OR burndown? š„²) :
The real root of PM burnout - The Sprint burndown chart. JK (Aur bhi dukh hain zamanay mai š)
Burnout can stem from different reasons. The key is to identify and take appropriate actions to make sure you are always feeling 100% š
Over-caring: Have you been thinking just about work lately? Avoiding tea breaks to maximize output? Or spending weekends thinking about how to get that stakeholder aligned? Maybe you are caring too much. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! Maintaining a good work-life balance is essential for preventing burnout.
Lack of Appreciation: Did you celebrate that last feature release? Or the buy-in that you got in the morning? Maybe you are not celebrating milestones and taking these small yet important phases of your career very lightly. Remember that progress is incremental and continuous. It's your time to go and celebrate small daily wins
Ā Alignment with Strengths: Do you love talking to customers but you haven't been too involved with sprint planning lately? It's time for you to identify what you love the most about your job, acknowledge that you cannot do 100% of it every day, and then strategize on how can you do a little bit of it every day or maybe every week so that you remain energized!
Accept Complexity:
Product management is intrinsically challenging and there is no handbook to do it right. The uncertainty and complexity of this role can always hit you hard sometimes. However, there are some ways to deal with this:
Maintain Perspective: Consistently view the broader picture. Think of it as having a bird's-eye view to see all interconnected parts.
Develop a Shared Purpose: Make sure you have a shared vision with the right people and are building something that you truly value. The sense of shared vision with the right people will always help you stay focused during turbulent times.
Soch CafƩ (PM Meetup) Updates
Oh! Are you here to catch up on Soch Cafe? Well, if you are in Islamabad, itās time to mark your calendars for our upcoming SochCafe š¤©
š Kis Din?: Friday, October 6th, 2023
š Kis Waqt?: 7:00 PM
šKis Jagah?: Emumba, Plot # 189-A, Korang Road, I-10/3, Islamabad
š¶ļø The Sizzling Topic: Airbnbās Hot Take - Should PMs also be responsible for product marketing?
Excited to see you there and make sure to add this event to your calendar!
Now, letās get back to updates!
KARACHI
It was a wonderful session at COLABS where not only PMs but Designers, Product Ops and Marketing people came out and had a crazy discussion on Airbnbās recent change in Product Management function. If you werenāt there, you missed a lot! but worry not, we will be back soon!
CANADA
Canada Chapter's September Soch Cafe in Mississauga was nothing short of spectacular! Moe Ali, a very popular and respected thought leader in the PM space, gave a stellar talk on product strategy that had everyone buzzing. The networking at the meetup was electric and we even gave the stage to an entrepreneur to host an idea feedback session for an upcoming AI recruitment product that sparked insightful conversations.
Watch out for this space because itās getting crazy in Canada!
š§ Sochology: The Three Pillars of Product Decision Making
For the latest installment of our Sochology EduSeries, we had the honor of hosting Ravi Mehta, former Chief Product Officer at Tinder and Product Director at Facebook.
As product builders, we base decisions on three pillars: intuition, analytics, and customer feedback. Making decisions based on all three while maintaining a balanced approach can be a tough cookie to crack! Ravi delved into how PM can approach decision-making, examples from across the industry to illustrate the three pillars of product decision-making and why itās so hard to get it right all the time.
You can hear all about it here.
š¼ Latest Jobs
Are you in the market for jobs? Well, our Slack groupās #job-portal channel has been blowing up with product vacancies.
These employers are looking for product peeps with solid Soch:
Passionate about optimizing processes and driving product excellence? Join Dastgyr as a Product Ops Analyst
Ailaaj is looking for an impact-driven Product Manager. Send your CVs to hassan@ailaaj.com
Do you have at least 5 years of experience in Product Management? ChargeUp is looking for you
If you or someone you know is looking for options, you might want to jump into our Slack. Our job portal channel is heating up!
Till next time, keep your Soch on.
Best,
Sarrah