Transition Continued

Ok. It’s been a couple of months since I left the previous product management position and plugged into the new one. What a refreshing change of pace! Granted, there are always fresh challenges with a new gig, but in this case, the transition has been quite nice. Earlier today, I colleague asked how I felt about this move relative to the previous two. I’d have to say it’s a distinct improvement!

Jumping from a large, publicly traded corporation which was hidebound in process and politics to a smaller, privately held firm unencumbered by such restrictions has been the difference between night and day. Albeit there are areas in which a little more structure or process would be helpful, on balance throwing off the chains of big company institutional inertia has been profoundly liberating. Hopefully, this remains the case well into the future.

Now, I can become more fully engaged in all pieces of the value chain. It’s possible to actually spend time on the manufacturing floor or in the test labs to get hands on time; to really ask questions. Being able to make decisions and re-direct the business quickly is a real kick in the pants! And benefiting from personal interaction, face-to-face, rather than voice mail to voice mail has been a boon to productivity. In short, all the things product management should be are at least possible in a smaller organization. It reminds me of my first product management job almost 9 years ago. Chalk one up for business retro!