Why Falling in Love with Problems Will Change Everything?
How to Prioritize Solutions that Truly Resonate with Users and Build a Culture of Innovation
As a product manager, you know that falling in love with the problem is critical to building products that truly resonate with your users. However, getting your leadership team on board with this mindset can be challenging. As someone who has spent years in the trenches of product management and leadership, I've learned that evangelizing your leadership team to fall in love with the problem is necessary and can be a gratifying experience. But rest assured, it's not an easy task.
As a product manager and leadership coach, I have seen firsthand how reframing the problem and prioritizing solutions that address the root cause can lead to more robust products, better relationships with users, and a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. I've written extensively on this topic and invite you to explore previous articles in my newsletter.
In this article, I'll share my insights on evangelizing your leadership team to first fall in love with the problem and let you, the product manager and owners, solve the problem. By following these strategies, you can help your leadership team see the value of falling in love with the problem and prioritize solutions that truly resonate with your users.
Now, let's dive in!
Here are five steps to help you do this.
Start with Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. When it comes to product management, empathy means understanding the needs and pain points of your users. Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes and experiencing their problems firsthand.
To do this, you can conduct user research, create user personas, or even use your product as a customer would. By establishing empathy, you can help your leadership team see the real impact of the problem and why it's essential to fall in love with it.
Illustrate the Impact
Once you have established empathy, illustrate the impact of the problem. Show your leadership team how the problem affects your users and why it's essential to address it. Use data, customer feedback, and real-world examples to demonstrate the impact of the problem.
For example, if you're building a financial planning tool, you could illustrate how the lack of a clear financial plan affects users' ability to achieve their financial goals. By illustrating the impact, you can help your leadership team see why it's essential to fall in love with the problem.
Reframe the Problem
Next, reframe the problem to align with your product's goals. Rather than specific features or solutions, please focus on the underlying problem and how it aligns with your product's mission and vision.
For example, if your product's mission is to help people live healthier lives, you could reframe the problem of obesity as a problem of unhealthy lifestyles. By reframing the problem this way, you can help your leadership team see how falling in love with the problem aligns with your product's goals.
Use the Right Language
When communicating with your leadership team, use language that resonates with them. Tailor your message to their interests and priorities and use language emphasizing the importance of falling in love with the problem.
For example, if you're presenting to a group of data-focused leaders, you might use language emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making. If you're presenting to a group of leaders who prioritize user experience, you might use language emphasizing user empathy's importance.
Using the correct language can help you connect with your audience and communicate the value of falling in love with the problem in a way that resonates with them.
Lead by Example
Finally, it's essential to lead by example. As a product manager, you are the primary evangelist for your product and its goals. It means you should embody the mindset of falling in love with the problem and prioritize solutions that address the root cause of the problem.
When you lead by example, you demonstrate the importance of falling in love with the problem and inspire others to adopt this mindset.
Benefits of Falling in Love with the Problem
By evangelizing your leadership to fall in love with the problem, you can unlock several benefits for your product and your team.
One positive example of falling in love with the problem is Apple's approach to product development. Apple has a reputation for developing products that solve real user problems. They focus on understanding the user experience and designing intuitive, easy-to-use products that solve real problems.
On the other hand, a bad example of not falling in love with the problem is Blockbuster. Blockbuster failed to understand the changing needs of its customers and the market. While Netflix was innovating and offering a more convenient way to rent movies, Blockbuster was focused on its brick-and-mortar stores and traditional rental model. As a result, they failed to keep up with changing trends and ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
By falling in love with the problem, you can avoid these mistakes and stay ahead of the curve. By constantly looking for ways to solve the underlying problem, you can also foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Another benefit of falling in love with the problem is that it helps you prioritize features and solutions that address the root cause of the problem. Instead of focusing on band-aid solutions or superficial features, you can prioritize solutions that provide real value to your users.
Finally, falling in love with the problem can help you build stronger relationships with your users. When you understand their needs and pain points, you can create products that truly resonate with them and provide value. This can lead to increased loyalty, retention, and word-of-mouth marketing.
Conclusion
Evangelizing your leadership to fall in love with the problem is critical to product management. By starting with empathy, illustrating the impact, reframing the problem, using the correct language, and leading by example, you can help your leadership team see the value of falling in love with the problem and prioritizing solutions that address the root cause. This can lead to more robust products, better user relationships, and a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.