The problem-solver’s playbook: 17 questions to sharpen your thinking

If somebody had asked me years ago to distil product management in two words, I’d have answered: solving problems. Isn’t that our main job? Find out what the customer’s problems are and solve them. Bam, job done, give me the applause I deserve! Now, the problem with being passionate about problem-solving was that when I saw a problem, my instinctive reaction was “How can I solve it?” I was a problem slut: I was attracted too easily to too many problems. That means: <ul> <li>I usually ended up burning out quickly trying to solve all the problems myself.</li> <li>I also often felt frustrated when I couldn’t get enough buy-ins and resources to solve the problems.</li> <li>And, worst of all, I got bored easily when executing the solution, as I have already fallen in love with another problem.</li> </ul> <img alt="A picture of a man holding hand with a woman, walking past another woman. The man turned back at the other woman, admiring her beauty while the woman he’s with looked annoyed." src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:770/0*pj6bXxSyKuHYN2nS.jpg" style="height:467px; width:700px" /> This was me After many episodes of burnout and frustration, I learned my lesson. If you ask me now what my job is, I’ll answer: multiplying value. That means that I only work on problems worth solving, in a way that delivers the optimal value for the customers. <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr"> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="https://medium.com/irlproduct/the-problem-solvers-playbook-17-questions-to-sharpen-your-thinking-167e2ce134c2">Click Here</a></td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>