Fish Food for Thought
In technology companies, leaders spend a ton of time thinking about the product. We are often given product suggestions from friends, family, and even strangers. When we first arrive on a new team, we especially want to focus on the product. During the interviewing, onboarding, and even 90 day period, even if we use a framework like people, process, and technology, it still doesn’t keep us from wanting to focus on what changes to the product we want to make, i.e. what customer problems we want to solve. Despite this being most of our natural proclivity, I think it’s backwards. The order in which we should focus is people, principles, process, and then product. You have to get the people right first. Then you decide on the principles that you are going to follow, i.e. what is your team’s culture. Once those are established, you fix the processes. Then finally, once all of that groundwork is laid, you can get down to fixing the product. Today, I want to walk through why I think this order is the correct way to approach situations, especially when we start new roles, start new initiatives, or need to pivot to something new.
When leaders join a new team, the gravitational pull is almost always toward the product. It’s natural, the product is visible, tangible, and often where the most immediate feedback comes from. You might hear friends, family, and colleagues sharing ideas for new features. You might see bugs that seem like low-hanging fruit, or gaps in the roadmap that spark your creativity. It’s tempting to jump in and fix those things right away, after all, it feels like the fastest way to make your mark.
