Comments on: Why a good PM will never be Employee of the Quarter http://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:32:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: The Bad of Product Management « On Product Managementhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-4046 The Bad of Product Management « On Product Management Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:13:54 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-4046 [...] PM is never really appreciated – [this person should read this post.] [...] [...] PM is never really appreciated – [this person should read this post.] [...]

]]> By: Shameless Begging | The Cranky Product Managerhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2837 Shameless Begging | The Cranky Product Manager Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:23:27 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2837 [...] An aside…  Lest you think the CPM’s lack of amassed awards must mean she is not so great at her job, let her remind you that 1) She is a Product Management Goddess and no one does it as fantastically as she, ask anyone, and 2) She’s not in Sales where they give you 4 or 5 awards a year if you manage to wipe your own ass without the help of your District Manager.  She’s in Product Management, the land of no awards, ever. [...] [...] An aside…  Lest you think the CPM’s lack of amassed awards must mean she is not so great at her job, let her remind you that 1) She is a Product Management Goddess and no one does it as fantastically as she, ask anyone, and 2) She’s not in Sales where they give you 4 or 5 awards a year if you manage to wipe your own ass without the help of your District Manager.  She’s in Product Management, the land of no awards, ever. [...]

]]> By: Finally, an Award for a Product Manager. : The Cranky Product Managerhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2836 Finally, an Award for a Product Manager. : The Cranky Product Manager Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:46:28 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2836 [...] Cranky Product Manager, like most good product managers, usually wins nothing. Absolutely [...] [...] Cranky Product Manager, like most good product managers, usually wins nothing. Absolutely [...]

]]> By: Liz K.http://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2835 Liz K. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:29:32 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2835 @Ivan - I have been in that situation myself and IMHO, I'm always thinking "where the heck is the Product Marketing Manager? Or Sales Engineer?" Now that's fodder for another conversation, but if the Sales person is not getting any help from PMM (which I often see as a mutual ally and gatekeeper ), or the PMM, at least for standard "product expertise" requests, then that is an example of a thankless job of picking up after someone's else's ball-dropping. @Ivan – I have been in that situation myself and IMHO, I’m always thinking “where the heck is the Product Marketing Manager? Or Sales Engineer?” Now that’s fodder for another conversation, but if the Sales person is not getting any help from PMM (which I often see as a mutual ally and gatekeeper ), or the PMM, at least for standard “product expertise” requests, then that is an example of a thankless job of picking up after someone’s else’s ball-dropping.

]]> By: saeedhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2829 saeed Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:35:12 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2829 @GottabeMeThanks for the comment. Seems unanimous from the comments that others see the same pattern.At one company, I was once nominated by another team (Marketing) for a quarterly award, but the awarded needed approval of my own Sr. Exec (VP of Products). Guess who won the award. The Engineer who gave up his Thanksgiving weekend. After that, Marketing gave my wife and I a weekend stay at a local resort as a thank you for some work I did with them.In that case, I'm glad I didn't win the award. The weekend was a real treat.Saeed @GottabeMe

Thanks for the comment. Seems unanimous from the comments that others see the same pattern.

At one company, I was once nominated by another team (Marketing) for a quarterly award, but the awarded needed approval of my own Sr. Exec (VP of Products). Guess who won the award. The Engineer who gave up his Thanksgiving weekend. After that, Marketing gave my wife and I a weekend stay at a local resort as a thank you for some work I did with them.

In that case, I’m glad I didn’t win the award. The weekend was a real treat.

Saeed

]]> By: Weekly Reader: 4July08 » The Productologisthttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2834 Weekly Reader: 4July08 » The Productologist Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:07:27 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2834 [...] Why a good PM will never be Employee of the Quarter [On Product Management] [...] [...] Why a good PM will never be Employee of the Quarter [On Product Management] [...]

]]> By: GottabeMehttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2833 GottabeMe Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:55:16 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2833 I have to agree 100%. I have two coworkers who regularly stay quite late in the office. Honestly, I have noticed that they also regularly come in fairly late (between 9:30 and 9:45), regularly take long lunches, and spend a lot of time talking about things that are unrelated to their assigned tasks.We are salary employees and are not paid overtime for working over 40 hours a week, so I prefer to waste as little time as possible while at work and get as much done as possible so that I don't have to stay later than 5. Sure, sometimes it will happen, but I try to minimize that.Unlike the my coworkers, I haven't had the need to go to extreme lengths to put out fires. Excellent points. Unfortunate that PMs who do have to go to extreme lengths to put out fires are seen as heroes and recognized for it. I have to agree 100%. I have two coworkers who regularly stay quite late in the office. Honestly, I have noticed that they also regularly come in fairly late (between 9:30 and 9:45), regularly take long lunches, and spend a lot of time talking about things that are unrelated to their assigned tasks.

We are salary employees and are not paid overtime for working over 40 hours a week, so I prefer to waste as little time as possible while at work and get as much done as possible so that I don’t have to stay later than 5. Sure, sometimes it will happen, but I try to minimize that.

Unlike the my coworkers, I haven’t had the need to go to extreme lengths to put out fires. Excellent points. Unfortunate that PMs who do have to go to extreme lengths to put out fires are seen as heroes and recognized for it.

]]> By: saeedhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2832 saeed Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:34:56 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2832 @CarolineSome dysfunctional companies have PMs but don't understand Product Management. Why is the PM redesigning the home page? Just curious, (un)successful is that company?Saeed @Caroline

Some dysfunctional companies have PMs but don’t understand Product Management. Why is the PM redesigning the home page? Just curious, (un)successful is that company?

Saeed

]]> By: saeedhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2831 saeed Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:33:41 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2831 @IvanPMs should not be firefighters...I agree. But rarely does a PM have to fly off somewhere to actually fix the problem. Usually it's a critical decision that needs to be made or a dispute that has to be settled.In one company I worked at, in my first month on the job, I basically had to mediate a long running dispute between Support and Engineering over testing and escalations. It was strange. Both the VP Eng and Support Director had been at the company for years, but they couldn't work it out.In the end though, I made a call and set a policy that is still in place today many years after I've left that company.Saeedl @Ivan

PMs should not be firefighters…I agree. But rarely does a PM have to fly off somewhere to actually fix the problem. Usually it’s a critical decision that needs to be made or a dispute that has to be settled.

In one company I worked at, in my first month on the job, I basically had to mediate a long running dispute between Support and Engineering over testing and escalations. It was strange. Both the VP Eng and Support Director had been at the company for years, but they couldn’t work it out.

In the end though, I made a call and set a policy that is still in place today many years after I’ve left that company.

Saeedl

]]> By: carolinebenderhttp://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/14/pm_eotq/comment-page-1/#comment-2830 carolinebender Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:39:30 +0000 http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/?p=324#comment-2830 Thanks Saeed -- you have summed it up exactly. The last PM who rec'd such an award at my company did it for giving up 3 days (on no notice) to fly to corporate hq and redesign the home page because the new leadership read somewhere we should. Wasn't their planned VISION, see, just something they thought they had to do. Then they gave each other awards for thinking so brilliantly so quickly and miraculously pulling it off. Getting an award for having a 3 year plan is so 80s, I guess. Thanks Saeed — you have summed it up exactly. The last PM who rec’d such an award at my company did it for giving up 3 days (on no notice) to fly to corporate hq and redesign the home page because the new leadership read somewhere we should. Wasn’t their planned VISION, see, just something they thought they had to do. Then they gave each other awards for thinking so brilliantly so quickly and miraculously pulling it off. Getting an award for having a 3 year plan is so 80s, I guess.

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