A Lesson in Managing Up

Growing up in the middle of America in the 80s, my mom was a single working mother who often brought her work home. This was before laptops, Zoom, and the internet, so she spent a lot of time on the phone in the evenings—an actual phone connected to a wall!

As a 9 or 10-year-old, I often felt frustrated when she was on the phone because I needed her permission to do things like go on a bike ride or play with a neighbour. Interrupting her was a big no-no. So, I devised a solution. I would write a note saying:

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about the power of our self-stories—our self-narratives—and how they impact our work. The article explored the patterns, purposes, and possibilities for creating change in these narratives. Today, I want to focus on a particular storyline that have been emerging in my conversations with clients lately: the disillusionment we feel when our leaders don’t behave in a way that we agree with.

We all know that change is inevitable. After all, without change and innovation, many of us wouldn’t have our jobs! However, there's a stark difference between the concept of change and the reality of it, especially when it catches us off guard.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at La Product Conf Paris and wanted to share an overview of my talk called “It’s all invented!”

Instead of diving into the nuts and bolts of product management, my talk focused on the interpersonal skills that shape our work as product managers and product leaders.