Leading Product Remotely
I’ve worked remotely for the last five years. You’d think I’d have this figured out by now. Nevertheless, remote product leadership, while possible, can be challenging.
Every company is different. Here is what we did at Blueleaf (where I was working when the pandemic first started). Many of these practices I still practice at MANTL.
When I started at MANTL, not only was I onboarding as a new employee, I was also taking over leading an established team, and was joining when the world was still fully remote and meeting folks in person was not quite possible. Product and process are both easier challenges to approach. But working with and leading people, while rewarding, brings a different set of challenges. Here is what helped me onboard as a leader and manager:
Set up time to get to know your team members as people, not just “employees” - when I started at MANTL I read The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo. In the book she gives amazing examples of questions to use during 1:1s. I started adding a few of these questions to Lattice each week prior to 1:1s for team members to reflect on. The results were enlightening and fun (we started calling it “Colleen’s weekly questions”). Set up a team happy hour every now and then, go and enjoy one another’s time. Be sure to include your team’s partners, roommates, kids, pets, etc.
Leave space in the agenda - Ask about how folks weekends were, leave room for smalltalk, for jokes and puns. It makes a difference. Recently, I went to WI to visit my sisters (one of whom lives there, the other who lives abroad) to spend time with my nieces and nephews. Between the two of them, there are four kids under four, including a fearless teething one year old, and a two year old who had gotten four bee stings in three days. I shared photos of them telling my team I had to pull a Mary Poppins and head out a few hours early to catch the train. Over the next few hours, I saw photos of kids, dogs, backyard projects, and recent trips.
Be authentic and transparent - people feel comfortable sharing, around people who feel comfortable sharing. If you are a leader, it means you go first. If you are a leader, it ends with you listening a lot more than talking. No, that does not mean your team is your therapist, but transparency and authenticity go a long way. Walk the line.
Create Clarity - When I started at MANTL, something that one of the PMs on my team said I could to do help him and the team was “create clarity - just generally.” These words have guided so much about my time there. I’ve invested heavily in process, documentation, and systems to give my strong PMs and Product Designers a system that supports them doing their best work. At MANTL that has evolved into creating a Product Operations function, and refining our prioritization and planning process.
Notice the small things - something we do every week on my product/design team is we write up a weekly recap that details what we accomplished that week, what we’re setting out to do the following week, what is on our minds, and how we feel. I find the last two categories the most helpful. I felt like I could be a better leader and a more supportive person knowing how they each were feeling. As my team grows, I’m finding this more and more valuable. It also helps when you know your team members birthdays, kids/dogs/moms/partners name, or favorite cocktail or food.
Remember, you manage people first, product second - I start every call with “how are you?” and I end with “what can I do to support you?” - and I wait, listen and act upon the responses.
I am sure six months from now I will have more lessons and that my process will evolve. It’s an area I will continue to invest heavily in, because the ROI simply cannot be beat.
