5 Reasons we need Group Therapy for Product Managers
Question: Is there any value in group therapy like activities for product managers & product owners? I think there is. Here’s 5 reasons, each supported several links as to why … followed by a personal call to action.
1. We snicker about it on Twitter
Did you know laughter can alter dopamine & serotonin activity? That cracking-wise is a positive fear response that helps deal with the stress & loss of focus brought on by cortisol, epinephrine, & DOPAC levels in our blood? Given the pressures & pain points people of product face daily is it any wonder why we snort & chortle about in drive-by Tweets on the topic?
I nodded my head in 95% agreement with the following theorem forwarded by Antonio García Martínez, the author of the book ‘Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley.’
The probability that a meeting full of product managers devolves into what sounds like a group therapy session approaches 1 the longer the meeting goes. (Feel free to call this Garcia’s Law.) ~ 7:13 PM · Aug 14, 2020
I chuckled aloud ‘been there, done that’ after reading this descriptive comment about a product demo from the woman who invented the Now/Next/Later roadmap and is the CEO of ProdPad, Janna Bastow:
Just had a great call that *started* as a demo of @ProdPad but finished as more of a therapy session, like the Roadmap Clinics I do :)
We talked about how to deal with tricky stakeholders, how to move to a leaner way of working and roadmapping, and a bunch more. — 6:21 AM · Apr 29, 2020
And then there’s this hilarious gem from Alex Ye … well hilarious if you’re not an engineer ;)
Friend: “Product managers are just therapists for engineers” — 6:56 PM · Nov 30, 2020
2. We refer to Meetups & Product Camps as Group Therapy
Have you ever noticed that ALL product meetups and unconferences inevitably devolve into some form of group therapy? IMHO, it’s really only a question if this occurs during the networking, sharing, or activities portion of any given gathering.
It’s probably the reason I found soooo many references along these lines. For brevity’s sake I offer this handful of individuals referring to various product people gatherings as group therapy:
- David Nash founded ProductCamp Portland in 2012 as group therapy for product management professionals.
- Adam Sigel of Boston Product had similar aspirations, or as he put it: “It turns out I wasn’t alone, and every other PM feels the same frustrations, whether it’s managing internal feedback or dealing with being under-resourced. Our monthly breakfasts are more like group therapy than an industry event.”
- Jennifer Doctor tweeted “… new reason to attend ProductCamp Minnesota: learning, networking & now group therapy for product management & marketing pros”
- Speaking of Dan Olsen’s Lean Product Meetup, Jim Morris offers “… it’s definitely group therapy…and it feels good … we just shared our answers to ‘I am proud of…’ with our stranger now friend … then the listener is asked to say what the ‘superpower’ is of the other person” —
- Finally, Product Camp Melbourne sums up the sentiment here with “ProductCamps are part tent revival, part group therapy, and part amazing recipe swap gathering.”
Heck, even the former Chief Product Officer at Meetup, Giff Constable runs a meetup titled ‘Product Therapy.’
3. Product Managements Consultants openly pitch Group Therapy
John Cutler wrote in his blog post ‘15 Things You Should Know About Product Managers’ that Product Management is hard, super hard! Brutal in fact.
This is why I’m not surprised to find individuals who’ve advocate for group therapy as part of their consulting practices.
- “Whether You’re Building A New Product Or Improving An Existing One, The Product Therapist Is For You. Get In Touch To Get Started.” — Ravi Mishra
- “Create platforms for feedback. … … James E. Rogers gathered managers together for meetings that functioned as a group therapy session.” — Sequent Learning
- “Directors and VPs of Product rarely have an opportunity to network informally with our peers. We’re busy riding herd on semi-chaotic product cycles; intensely networking … mentoring our teams; deflecting today’s barrage of random interrupts; carving time out for home. Let’s not be neglect the value in meeting, sharing and naming our challenges. Even if it feels like group therapy.” — Rich Mironov
4. There are Websites, Podcasts, & even former Therapists advocating for PM Group Therapy
Do you find yourself sometimes feeling isolated or powerless as you observe unhealthy product practices?
You are not alone!
The fact is that all of us in product management feel frustrated and confused by some of the chaos we deal with in our corporate settings … which explains these fabulous finds:
- “People need to vent. They need to rant. They need to get things off their chest. Most of all they need to know that they’re not alone.” — MVP.FYI — Group therapy for Product People
- “All in all, there are skill sets that are shared between Psychologists and Product Managers, which explains how someone with a psychology background can transition into product management.” — From Therapist to Product Manager | by Cara Paley
- “Product Therapy is a podcast about product management hosted Ben Erez & Brandon Lucas Green, two PMs who need to talk some things out.”
5. I Also Validated the Need via Conversations & Presentations
Finally, I started formulating some thoughts regarding the specific need for product management group therapy back in late 2017 … in large part inspired by countless conversations with many fantastic product people at the numerous product management and agile meetups we used to enjoy here in the Raleigh-Durham area … and hope to enjoy sometime again in 2021.
Here’s a video of the ProductTank RTP session I held for product managers on March 21, 2019, titled ‘Product Therapy with Dean Peters.’
I went on to hold two similar sessions specifically geared towards product owners and then Agile coaches.
All 3 sessions yielded similar interactions, conversations, and outcomes you see in the video.
I also collected some qualitative data in preparation for the ProductTank RTP therapy session, asking participants to contribute ideas to the following prior to our gathering … there were~40 unique cards posted within 72 hours of the ask.
Yeah, okay, so I did ‘doctor’ the names of some of the ailments to make them a bit more memorable … but without sacrificing the meaning of the original hurt enumerated.
So What’s Next?
Given the body of evidence above, I think it’s time I finally off my shrinking posterior and get started on my own podcast titled ‘Product Management Group Therapy’ to address the problems and pain points product owners, product managers, UX designers, business analytics, CPOs, VPOs, and directors of product face on a daily basis.
I’ve got all the material, all the gear, all the technical know-how from my secret past life as a professional musician … now it’s simply a matter of execution. I’m hoping to get a set of initial episodes out by mid-March 2021.
Please, feel free to hold me accountable for this.
TIA
