My Operating Principles
In tech the challenges, roadmap and people we work with change all the time. In a world where the only constant is change, it is critical to have a stability in who you are, how you work and what your personal ‘first principles’ are.
As a leader, defining your core values, or leadership style can be used as a personal north star, but also the ‘guiding principles’ for those working with you on what to expect, how to navigate giving you feedback and how to win together in general. These principles serve as a compass in steering my decisions but also my ideal team’s way of thinking, and act as the bridge connecting aspirations to actions. Relying on a core set of values helps groups navigate the good, bad, and ugly.
So, what are my personal core values as a product marketing leader?
💨 Work with urgency and intention
PMM is the cross-functional link between product, marketing & sales. I seek to help PM teams ship early and often, knowing that what matters most is what the customers experience. Ship fast, iterate faster with a test and learn approach to work.
🤝 Share the credit
There is no "i" in product marketing. Give kudos, share praise, and highlight great work across the GTM team. Don’t hold the pen or authorship too close to your heart, open the messaging document up so that your cross-functionals can contribute. A co-authored messaging and positioning strategy is 10x more likely to be adopted in the wild than one made by a solo PMM alone in a corner. The only way to win is together.
📢 Say it with your chest
You have a perspective that you strongly believe in. Don't be afraid to say hard truths, ask tough questions, or share insights passionately. Have a point of view and I encourage spirited debate - all while giving your colleagues equal respect and hearing them out when they are sharing their POV.
🎯 Disagree and commit
I encourage everyone to openly express inverse POVs and debate as a group. However, once a decision is made, the “disagree and commit” value helps the team work together effectively in implementation. This principle encourages a culture of open and honest communication and recognizes that healthy disagreement leads to better decisions. However, it also emphasizes the importance of unity once a decision is reached, preventing ongoing resistance that can hinder progress.
☀️ Company culture is the last 60 days
Culture is a 60-day moving average. It's what you've been collectively doing as a company over the last 60 days. How do you treat people? How do you critique each other? How do you share? Where's the bar on quality? How do you support customers? I take ownership of culture and reflect often on it. I seek to build teams who are accountable to their word, have a bias towards action & take the misses with grace. I look to build teams of critical thinkers, culture-leaders, & hungry learners.
🧠 Embrace kaizen (ongoing improvement)
Messaging and positioning is like fine wine - it only gets better with time and incremental refinement. Optimize messaging and positioning within the context of shifting trends, modern culture, and relevant customer pain points. The market is dynamic and always moving - we should be too.
😂 Laugh every day
I always seek to build teams that roar with laughter everyday together - enjoying your work and colleagues is as important as the output, else what are we all doing it for?
In summary
I value an honest expression of ideas and being able to bring authenticity to work. I seek to build strong links between x-functional partners (like product management, web, design, content, sales) so we are all rowing to the same beat. Internally in the marketing organization, I seek to drive clarity on product and customer positioning above all else.
