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It's not uncommon for us to draw good analogies between the films we watch and our role or work routine as product people.
"The Intern" is one such film!
Available on Netflix, this 2015 film starring Anne Hataway and Roberto Deniro is well suited to rainy days or Sunday afternoons... A perfect combination of a bucket of popcorn, excellent entertainment and... knowledge!
The film stars Jules Ostin as the CEO of a fashion start-up and Ben Whittaker as a 70-year-old man who decides to return to work and is hired as an "intern" at the company.
During the scenes, we see some good references and links to situations in the Digital Products area that I've consolidated below.
See if you can relate ;).
Metrics!
Measuring is not only important, it's extremely relevant!
Anne Hataway's character, Jules, shows that it's essential to take control of your sales by having indicators at your fingertips, such as the areas of most interest to your customers and the best-selling products.
Analysis tools and metrics help you make decisions and prevent "guesswork" from taking hold... Jules knows about it! ;)
Two or three KPIs can give us a well-rounded view about our Product
Clean desk = updated backlog
The backlog is sometimes known as the "repository of oblivion".
This is because we add so many stories, tasks and desires to it that, if we don't keep an eye on it, it becomes difficult to see what's down there and prioritize it.
In the film, Ben always tries to keep his desks clean and organized!
How about doing the same with our Backlog, giving it a basic polish from time to time?
Celebrate the achievements of your team!
We know how valuable recognition is!
In one of the scenes, we notice that someone rings a bell whenever something relevant happens, such as a goal is achieved.
Celebrate and share this feeling with everyone!
It motivates... it's fuel and energy for the next missions!
And most importantly...give your team a chance to participate, to make mistakes, to try!
As Ben says at one point: "You're never wrong to do the right thing."
Keeping an eye on your Users, Customers, or Consumers!
Jules knows the importance of Customer Service (that's Customer Experience...lol)!
She monitors the company's processes and the pain of its customers and with this, she makes us think that just as important as the growth of the business is the fact that we need to keep an eye on what is really going to make it continue to exist.
The famous "Horizontal"!
Jules' company shows this well in the layout of its tables and areas.
Communication is horizontal and everyone works on the same floor, with only a few meeting rooms enclosed by glass walls, some with shutters.
Easy access to levels previously seen as unattainable for mere mortals is one of the things we see increasingly present in companies.
A C-Level can be right there, five steps away from your workstation and open to a conversation, without you having to ask permission from a secretary or schedule a day/time for it.
OK, I know... not everyone is like that... but let's keep the faith in better days, shall we?
Roll up your sleeves and go!
Even with the difficulties of adapting to a new culture, routines, people, processes and tasks, Ben doesn't give up!
This proves that challenges make us competent and "hardened"!
Certain issues are there and they are indeed not so simple...complaining will only waste minutes that could have been devoted to building a solution!
Empathy and communication!
Two qualities are among my favorite Soft Skills!
We are different, not just physically! We have almost unique psychological profiles and are therefore susceptible to "moments".
Put yourself in the other person's shoes... try to think like them before you say no or argue the opposite.
What's more, Ben sees that even in a large space, without barriers, communication between them always needs to improve.
Ahhh, feedback!
How important 1:1 (one-on-one) is, don't you agree?
A frank chat with each member of your team and with your manager will help you identify important points for improvement that you expect from them and that they expect from you!
In addition to being a possible identifier of conflicts that may arise from the lack of solutions to the points highlighted or the creation of action plans to resolve them!
Surround yourself with different people!
As I said above, we are unique and a team is made up of different people with specific knowledge (Hard Skills) at equally different levels and behavioral patterns that express profiles ranging from born leaders to specialists who yield much more when working as lone wolves. This multidisciplinary usually yields good results!
Do you think that a football team made up only of forwards or only of center-backs can maintain a good run of results?
Always be prepared!
"Wow... I didn't see this coming"... Jules was taken by surprise when the company's investors informed her of the decision to bring in a CEO who would "oversee" her business.
You and your team can be super excited about developing a feature or new vertical and out of the blue...pahhh!!! Your Stakeholder, the business area, the CEO or even the company board decide to pivot and change the whole thing.
We'll talk more about "resilience" in another article, but it's up to you to take a breath and not let these facts interfere with your rhythm! It may not have been your decision, but if it was made... it must have a sensible reason!
And to close on a good note, Ben leaves us with a beautiful lesson:
"The key is to keep moving."
In other words... please, don't stop and believe! ;)
That's it, Product Lovers!
Let's move ahead!
