"I'm in a feature factory. I hate my job."
It's a fate many PMs deal with.
Spoiler alert: You shouldn't just immediately try to transform the company.
That a recipe for disappointment at best, and getting exited at worst.
Instead, figure out which of these 3 approaches is best for you:
Guerilla Tactics
Soft Power
The Long Game
They all can make you happier, but are totally different.
OPTION 1 - Guerilla Tactics
The reality is that most PMs don’t have the clout to drive transformation for everyone on their own.
So instead of trying to change everyone, you can just change your immediate vicinity.
For instance:
Organize 'innovation labs' that champion product model practices.
Offer to manage small 'side projects' that run in the product model, showcasing rapid progress.
Embed Agile principles subtly, using phrases like 'quick syncs' and 'priority check-ins' to avoid bureaucratic pushback
These are all little, tactical things that you don't have to be super public with. But they make your life better.
The key with all of these is to have a mindset that “I can shape my job.”
OPTION 2 - Soft Power
Another option that has worked for quite a few people is not to go guerilla - but go soft power.
So you're not under cover. You're out in the open.
You do things like:
Bring customer discovery and solution iteration into the process
Empower your designers and engineers in the what and why
Think like an owner about outcomes to drive
Then, you document and share those wins.
This is a really nice middle ground that PMs use to get promoted by bringing state of the art practices to their product domain.
Instead of just bringing happiness to your job, you also try to move the company along.
Especially with that step 4.
OPTION 3 - The Long Game
This final option is a long-shot... and too many content creators jumpt to his.
But it can be done by PMs who want to stay at a company--and also effectuate change.
The idea is you:
Get in with some execs: you find and win sponsors
Patiently prove out the process: you slowly keep showing proof points of success
Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate: act as the on-the-ground cheerleader for the initiative
And you try to be that unicorn IC PM who helps drive transformation org-wide.
But beware: the odds are long.
Options 1 and 2 also can make you happier.
Too many people underrate them.
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Ready to go further on how to transform?
Check out my full deep dive with Pawel Huryn and Marty Cagan:
