Great product owners know when to trust themselves and know when to call for help.
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The core distinction between merely competent and truly great product owners lies in their ability to balance self-reliance with the wisdom of seeking assistance. While effective leaders must possess the confidence to make difficult decisions that serve the best interests of the product, exceptional ones recognize exactly when external input is necessary. This involves not only consulting colleagues before finalizing a choice but also understanding situations where delegating the decision-making process itself can foster broader buy-in across complex business units affected by those choices.
However, bridging the gap between knowing this strategy and executing it consistently often proves challenging due to internal psychological barriers like imposter syndrome. Many capable product owners struggle with the fear that they are frauds who will eventually be exposed as inadequate, leading them to undervalue their own accomplishments. Instead of acknowledging their skills or attributing success to hard work, these individuals tend to believe their achievements were merely a result of luck or timing, which creates a significant obstacle when they need to admit ignorance and ask for help on specific topics.
Overcoming this mindset is crucial because the fear of being "found out" can paralyze even experienced leaders from seeking support. When an individual feels like an impostor, admitting that they do not know enough about a particular subject only amplifies their feelings of inadequacy rather than resolving them. Consequently, these individuals may hesitate to trust their own judgment or fail to reach out for advice when it is most needed, ultimately hindering the product's success and preventing the collaborative environment required for complex organizational decisions.
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Give and take.
Good product owners trust themselves to
make the tough calls. Great product
owners know when to call for help.
Product owners know when to step up and
make a decision for the good of the
product. But they also understand how
crucial it is to ask other people's
advice before making certain decisions.
and sometimes to let other people make
the decisions instead to generate buyin
for decisions that are complex and
affect multiple business units.
Understanding this and doing it though
are often two very different things. For
example, one of the most common reasons
good product owners struggle to ask for
help with decisions has to do with
imposttor syndrome.
Generally speaking, those who struggle
with imposter syndrome believe they're
not as good as people think they are,
that they're a fraud who will eventually
be found out.
I've got a whole chapter on this topic
in my book, The Coach's Case Book. And
although imposter syndrome can be a
component behind our success, it's often
more damaging than it is helpful. People
with imposter syndrome typically face
the following challenges. An inability
to internalize accomplishments. They
don't give themselves credit for what
they do well. A feeling that they're a
fraud and other people have an
overinflated view of them. A belief that
their successes can really only be down
to luck or being in the right place at
the right time. A fear of being found
out. And a larger focus on what they
can't do rather than what they can do.
When you feel like an impostor, it can
make it difficult not only to trust your
own decisions, but also to admit when
you just don't know enough and need help
to make a decision. After all, if you
already feel like a fraud, owning up to
your ignorance on a given topic is just
going to amplify any feelings you've got
of not being good enough or smart enough
or informed enough.