Saturday, January 2, 2016

New Year Resolutions

As a product owner, I have specific New Year resolutions to make me a better leader to my team(s) and contributor to my company's success. 

To be a better leader to my team, I will schedule recurring chucks of time to groom the backlog and hold all invitees accountable to show up. No more excuses.  I will reflect on retrospectives that surfaced blockers I failed to resolve and action plan for the highest valued items. I may even learn something new about the team along the way.   

To be a better contributor to my company's success, I will look for simple solutions to gain sizable wins and ensure a competitive product vision is in place that aligns with the strategic overall goals.  I will forge relationships with end-users and/or customers.  

To all you new product owners or product owners surviving in transitioning organizations, keep learning and be energized this year.  The single greatest value you can offer anyone is energy. When change is underway and most are feeling sluggish, you be the one that keeps spirits high.  How does one keep themselves energized?  Get good rest, exercise, healthy diet and positive thoughts.  Read about taking good care of yourself and the recipe for energizing yourself in order to energize others comes naturally.

Happy New Year my esteemed Product Owners and fellow agilists!