Being a good product development team is all about good execution. Sure, you need the necessary vision, the technical prowess, design, creativity and managerial skills. Apart from the necessary technical skills, a good product team needs ability to remain calm and composed in the face of challenges. One of the least discussed traits of a successful product team is ‘Composure’. How one responds to key pressure points will decide how your product turns out to be. Well managed, good product teams respond to pressures with cool head, prioritize correctly.
The product team has to make sound decisions everyday, have to prioritize, identify the most important features for a release and deliver high quality product release as per plan. In this context, A good leader makes a BIG difference. He/she plays a key role in helping the team by maintaining ‘positive’ pressure – the pressure to get things done. Getting it done with excellent quality, with consistent focus. The leader insulates team from unwanted distractions, de-prioritizes least important features. He/she negotiates with product management by keeping a tab on the situation.
In the long run, better products are built by teams that execute well with composure which in turn makes it easy for all stakeholders to deliver ‘customer delight’.