VP of Product Management | ex PayPal, Roku | Passionate about helping people make smarter financial decisions
Tell me if you have ever experienced this: You get an opportunity to work on a product or project you believe could be huge in impact. The work isn’t just difficult—you believe all of the work will be worth it because the end state will be so amazing. It is the kind of work we hope for: the game changer. This kind of project takes a while--probably over a year. But again, it will all be worth it in the end. You work through the obstacles, the unexpected delays, moments of doubt, and even the crisis point most big efforts see before ending in success. The real surprise comes at the end. It’s over! Finally the big goal is yours. The win belongs to you and all of your colleagues who made it happen. You celebrate together as you should…but something is missing. This “big win” doesn’t feel big any longer. It feels anti-climactic in some way. Many of us go on the hunt for that next big win—chasing that feeling we had in the beginning. And we go through the same cycle. What is going on here? Personally, this pattern has encouraged me to make a couple of changes in approach and expectations. First, I do my best to enjoy the journey with my colleagues—there is a lot to enjoy together, and you don’t have to wait until the end. Second, I also reflect on what I have learned along the way. Those takeaways can last while completing a milestone is just a moment in time. Please chime in—have you ever felt this way? How have you handled it? #ProductManagement #Leadership #LessonsLearned
