How Does Kung Fu Help Me as A Product Manager?
Why?
My job as a product manager is stressful. There is so much noise every day. I have a to-do list that never gets shorter. It’s like a table where I put all my stuff. Some things get pushed off the table, some things get covered and forgotten.
I often feel, I’m not enough. I don’t get enough done. I don’t communicate effectively enough. I don’t have enough answers. My products are not good enough.
It’s a constant buzz and it’s hard to focus on what really matters.
Enter Kung Fu
How does a martial art can possibly help me face the daily stress of product management. Isn’t kung fu for fighting, or at least self-defense?
The ability to defend yourself (and fight if unavoidable) is a by-product of kung fu. At its core, kung fu is a form of meditation. A state of complete focus and self-awareness. So why not only meditate but practice kung fu? I recommend both. But, it’s easier for me to stay focused for an hour during physical work-out than while sitting still.
I also figured out that I could use my workouts as a form of meditation because I concentrate so much on the muscle, I have my mind inside my bicep when I do the curls. … I’m really inside, and it’s like I gain a form of meditation, because you have no chance of thinking or concentrating on anything else at that time.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tool of Titans by Tim Ferriss
5 Ways Kung Fu Helps My Product Management
There are multiple ways how a regular kung fu practice helps me building products.
1 - Mental Benefits
I already mentioned, kung fu is a form of meditation. And the benefits of meditation have a huge impact on my performance as a product manager.
I am better at handling stress positively. First of all, I don’t get overwhelmed in the moment. I stay calm. This allows me to make better decisions and focus on need and not urgency.
I am more confident. As I express my ideas and proposals I have a certain poise. This is not only a mental aspect, because of kung fu I’m aware of my posture.
I’m able to switch off. You all know this. It is hard to switch off after a busy day, stressful meetings, lots of open topics that are somewhat important. For me, no matter how much buzz is in my head, five minutes into my kung fu practice I’m completely relieved of that stress.
2 - Understanding Progress and the Finish Line
Everyone knows the saying, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”. This is especially true for building products and kung fu. Neither have a destination. There is always room for improvement. You never solve all problems. The mindset in kung fu is clear. You are never done. Even a grand master is continuously practicing, improving his skills. This mindset allows me to look beyond pressing deadlines, big projects, or long-awaited releases. Products are never done. This doesn’t apply only to software products, but is equally relevant for hardware products. Celebrate your successes, but embrace the continuity of effort and creativity.
3 - Build A Strong Foundation
In traditional kung fu, the first year of practice was very simple. You only practiced the horse stance. The goal? Stay in that position for the full length of an incense stick, roughly 45 minutes. I’ve practiced kung fu for 4 years and on a good day I reach 4 minutes. But what is the purpose of this practice? All your strength comes from your legs. Good kung fu means strong legs. You need that foundation.
This relates to building products in many ways. First, don’t build on top of things that are not a good foundation due to artificial pressure.
Second, look for a strong foundation of customers. This is a well known concept. The model of 1.000 True Fans proposed by Kevin Kelly goes into that direction. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore boils down to have a super-focused target market as a foundation. Know your key users. Who are you building a product for? This is your foundation. They will give you the most insights. They are your safety net and your launch pad at the same time.
4 - Don’t Push It Uphill
When I started kung fu I was amazed by the “force” of my teachers. During practice they would explain a technique to me, and in doing so push me a few yards away. Even more amazing was seeing my Sifu, pushing my teachers away in a similar manner. At first I thought it’s their strength, their muscles. But soon I learned it’s not their muscles but rather the opposite. They let loose. They relax, and sink into their stances. They let their bodyweight work for them. Of course, I can try to use my muscles to force something, to push something uphill. But it is more efficient to let gravity help me. This is one of the key insights in strong kung fu.
But how does that relate to product management? Often, we want to force our product in a certain direction. We have made a plan, a strategy, and we want to push our product into a direction that fits our plan. I try to ask myself, what tendencies of my environment are useful to my product? What is my gravity? I can find the answer in how customers use my product. What value add makes my user’s day? This is my gravity. If I follow that direction, it won’t be an uphill battle but a natural way to long-lasting success.
5 - Attention to Detail
I’m not sure if this point should be on that list. Attention to detail is very important in product management. But, I don’t think that I’m very good at it. Too often I let the noise of daily business win. I don’t pay enough attention to detail.
My hope is that my kung fu will help me in the future to improve in that area. When I practice my kung fu forms I always pick some specific detail I want to improve. And like for a product, you can improve everywhere. Sometimes I focus on my breathing, sometimes on my stances, sometimes on the fluidity of my movements. There is so much room to improve and I know I can’t do it all at once. So I pick one detail, and pay attention to it. Rarely, my mind is on autopilot. As a product manager, I don’t want to be on autopilot. I want to focus, I want to be aware.
What Is Your Kung Fu?
Kung fu is my my mental outlet. And at the same time a way to sharpen my product management tools. Kung fu means hard work. Product management is exactly that, hard work.
What is your kung fu? What things help you improve as a product manager?