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Feb 09, 2025
I've been seeing some conversation on X around "giving a shit" and I heavily resonate with the premise here. TLDR; "It is not possible to make great products if the people who work on it do not give a shit about the product. And I actually think this is a very important role for product leaders... To make sure that the team gives a shit."
"Product" here can mean anything. I come from a background of software, sports, and competitive music. The teams/groups from my experience that have been the most successful have had a strong leader or a small group of leaders that enforce accountability, generate excitement, and lead by example.
Conflict. Conflict is good. Let me elaborate. I work in Big Tech and one thing that has been a hard shift for me around remote office culture is the over-index on happiness. Yes, keeping your team happy is a good thing, but often I see orgs confuse happiness with being comfortable.
For example, I often see certain behaviors being labled as 'toxic' so an organization will build a culture punishing certain work-styles and encouraging others. This, to me, is counterproductive. You need a balance of conflict, respect, and positive culture to get things done. Often the most important decisions are going to be made in spaces that are uncomfortable and that is OK. Do not avoid being uncomfortable for the sake of keeping peace if it is going to compromise the goal you are trying to achieve as a team. If the team is seeing their work accumulate to meaningful results that is what I have seen generate the most long-term happiness even though it might sacrifice some comfort in the short-term.
So, if you see some conflict on your team don't discourage it altogether, take it as a positive signal that there are at least two parties that give a shit. As a leader help mediate and help make a CLEAR decision with a clear "why" - again don't come up with some half-baked meet-in-the-middle solution as this type of decision making often snowballs into mediocre outcomes.
Around 6 months in to my first full-time tech job I was leading strategy for a DevRel team supporting a set of products. I (and the team I was representing) were torn apart by a senior-level PM in a review meeting to a VP. I could have: complained, avoided working with this person due to toxic behavior, and went on my way. Instead, I was excited? Why? Well it was one of the first times in my carreer that I didn't just get a clapping "good job keep going" piece of feedback. There was someone, actually angry, who cared about the outcome and demanding better results. So I worked with this person to fix the issues and they ended up being a good partner moving forward.
Healthy conflict isn't the only way I have seen "giving a shit" manifest. Often you can tell how much a team cares by the level of agency they have. If your team feels lethargic and often waits for you to tell them exactly what to do - that is another sign of not caring. Whereas, if they are solving problems faster than you can find them... that is a great sign.
Anyway, just thought I would write a bit about a topic I resonated with. If you have thoughts on this subject dont hesitate to reach out to me on X. Always open to hearing other takes! If you made it this far thanks for reading :)