Significant Career Lesson From A Product Manager At A B2B SaaS Marketplace
Evan, a Product Manager, emphasizes the importance of seeking "feedback early and often," advocating for proactive communication of plans before significant time investment. This approach, applicable at all career levels, fosters collaboration, improves outcomes, and prevents wasted effort on misguided projects.
Communication, Project Management, Feedback, Planning, Collaboration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Evan Bradshaw
Product Manager
B2B SaaS Marketplace for Creative Production
UCSB
UCSB: Engineering School, Master of Technology Management (MS)
Psychology
Technology, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Get feedback early and often to increase chances of success and save time.
2. Communicating plans with your boss or relevant stakeholders promotes collaboration and better outcomes.
3. Shortening the feedback loop by proactively seeking input prevents wasted effort on incorrect approaches; this is valuable at all career levels.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
This is a great question. One lesson I've learned that was significant in my career, and possibly in many different careers, is to get feedback early and often.
It might seem like your assignment is like school, where you accomplish the work, turn it in, and get graded. However, you'll actually have better outcomes if you learn to communicate what you're planning before you commit the majority of your time to it.
Planning in general gives you a much higher chance of success. Thinking through what you're about to do will help you. But also, sharing that plan with your boss or the person who requested the work is a really important and significant lesson.
You'll save so much time. You'll appear more collaborative and accomplish bigger outcomes than you could on your own. This is true if you learn to better communicate your planning and shorten your feedback loop. You don't need to turn in the assignment at its best if you already know it's wrong.
The moment you know something is wrong, address it. Even if you don't know it's wrong, seek feedback if you have that option. I think this skill of communicating your plans only becomes more meaningful the higher up the ladder you go. It's advice for everyone, from junior employees to executive leadership.