The Product Gist #14: Empathy is Everything
No Empathy = Bad products
The soft skills series continues. In this series, I will be talking about the soft skills you need to build up to become a better product manager. So far, I have talked about Curiosity, Time Management and Stakeholder Management
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Hi there,
Previously in this soft skills series, I talked about stakeholder management, how to identify and prioritise your stakeholders and managing stakeholders well.
This time, I will be talking about empathy and its ability to help us build great products.
Earlier this year, I had a conversation with a senior product manager. It was an introductory call where we shared a little about ourselves, our product journey and more. While introducing himself, he spoke about how he did not believe in empathy. I found it a bit confusing because one, it was a fresh perspective on incorporating empathy in product management processes, and two, I have put empathy into my work and see it give me great results.
Regardless of his opinion, I still believe it is critical for success as a product manager.
What Empathy Does In Product Management
Comeback Story by The Kings of Leon has a chorus I love so much.
I'll walk a mile in your shoes And now I'm a mile away And I've got your shoes
Applying empathy lets you slow down enough to listen and observe, be humble enough to learn and change, pick up and walk in another person’s shoes, just as the chorus says.
Empathy lets you understand and be mindful of what people feel and why they feel so. You look at things from others’ points of view. Without it, it is easy to delve into problems that are not even ‘problems’ in the first place and provide half-hearted solutions that solve the users’ pain.
In a nutshell, the more empathetic you are as a product manager, the more accurate you would be at solving problems.
Empathy is Needed at Various Levels
While most product managers focus on empathy for the user, applying it to other sects is critical for product success.
Empathy with users is essential. How do you expect your product to be loved by the user if you do not understand their problems? A sign of empathy deficiency in a product is when it completely ignores the fundamental pain points of the user and builds something else just because someone else is doing it. The first step you need to take is understanding their pain points. Why is it difficult for them to accomplish a task with your product? Why does a page take too long to load? Using the product allows you to be within the mind of the user and feel possible pains if they were experiencing the same problem you are experiencing.
Most importantly, talk to your users to understand their problems.
You need to show empathy to your product team. 1 Corinthians 12 tells about the body of Christ and if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is celebrated, every part rejoices with it.
The same applies when you are working with your product team. Without their work, the product suffers terribly. If you show a lack of empathy and become authoritative, you put the team in a box and make it difficult to achieve product success. You can show empathy by developing a relationship with the team, listening to and asking them for feedback and suggestions on ways to improve the product or provide a solution. When asked for timelines by business stakeholders, do not be quick to answer. Instead, consult with your team before committing to a vague timeline that will not be helpful to the team and product.
Business stakeholders such as sales and customer success need your empathy as well. You cannot allow pride to make you ignore or dismiss their thoughts or complaints. This is not an ego tussle or a case of who knows best. Everyone needs to come to the table if the product is to thrive. Learning how to manage your stakeholders well with empathy is necessary.
Finally, be empathetic to yourself. As product managers, we divide ourselves into many pieces all at once. Be kind to yourself through all the success, failure and growth you face in your product career.
Doing this allows you to learn from past mistakes and pursue better outcomes in the future.
Interesting Things I Have Found Lately…
You need to take risks to succeed in product management
Develop Your Empathy and Create Better Products
Forgetting your buyers is a fatal product mistake to make
In Other News…
My birthday is next week Tuesday!
I am grateful for how the year has gone so far. It has been a privilege to experience the ups and downs of this year. I go into a new age with optimism with the opportunity for more growth and improvement.
On a lighter note, if your spirit tells you to get this stranger who has been intruding on your email a birthday present, here is my wishlist. Thank you.
I will also be taking a break from writing till September. Rest is vital to me and it makes no sense to write to you with a fatigued mind. However, if there is anything you would like me to talk about when I return, you can let me know in this form.
Take care and see you in September!
Fumnanya