Adaptability: The One Untapped Skill Every Product Leader Must Master

Starting a career in product development can feel like embarking on a voyage with no set course. You’re tossed onto a ship navigating the unpredictable waters of an open ocean, where the destination changes with every shift in wind, current, and crew dynamics. As the conditions evolve, so do your responsibilities. Some you’re prepared for, others you’ll need to learn along the way. Yet, amidst this uncertainty, the sole objective remains: keep the ship afloat and sail towards the next destination.

Reflecting on my own journey in product development, I’ve witnessed this ever-changing landscape firsthand. Initially, my focus revolved around writing really good code. Then, speed became important — how swiftly could I push updates to production? Subsequently, attention shifted towards user engagement: how best to inform users about new features and encourage their adoption? With each iteration, the questions evolved: refining nudges for increased usage, pruning underutilized features, and even questioning the validity of our ideas before investing time and effort.
That brought more things to the table.

This iterative process embodies the essence of product development — a perpetual cycle of learning and adaptation. Each challenge mastered adds new to what I can do, transforming me into a versatile practitioner similar to a skilled ninja, ready to tackle whatever comes my way.

Making things takes a bunch of different skills: understanding how people act, managing time well, being good with technology, knowing how to market things, being able to sell stuff, handling money smartly, and more. Thinking you can master just one thing and be set for life seems silly now.

Building products demands a diverse skill set: an understanding of human behavior, adept time management, technical prowess, marketing savvy, sales acumen, financial acuity, and more.
Gone are the days of naively assuming mastery in one area equates to success; thinking you can master just one thing and be set for life seems silly now.

So, embrace the change, accept new responsibilities, and move forward.