Creativity: From Burnout to Breakthrough
The most valuable trait in product management is now at the most risk. Here's how to unleash creativity and keep burnout at bay
Creativity has always been the mark of top product managers.
And now, as we sit almost halfway through 2023, with SaaS businesses facing continued headwinds, that creativity — the ability to consistently think in new and different ways through tough decisions — is more valuable than ever.
Though, as I talk with product managers across SaaS, there is a gnawing acknowledgment of burnout. It’s palpable.
And first casualty of burnout? Creativity.
First Round’s Practical Frameworks for Beating Burnout:
Burnout is not just…'I'm too tired...' It's the inability to think creatively.
Burnout simmers. Almost imperceptibly over time, your field of vision narrows — your curiosity wanes: You stop searching for the gray and surrender to the binary. Your creativity dries up and it shows, particularly in decision making.
This is the moment for the best product managers to grab the bull by the horns — SaaS businesses need product teams to think differently if they want to emerge winners.
Shared understanding of creativity in Product
Why creativity is a need for SaaS businesses in this moment
How the best product managers can remain creative, particularly in their decision making.
What is Creativity?
“Wait. Creativity is for creative people. I’m a product manager, not a painter.” The product manager and the painter are not that different: Both cast vision, set strategy, then execute to deliver something people want.
Creativity is often dramatized as the fantastical output of the wild and brazen genius — the brilliant lone wolf who single-handedly introduces new, world-altering creations. That’s a caricature. And perpetuates the myth that creativity cannot be taught (I disagree).
Creativity is the ability to consistently think in new and different ways. Brushes, bytes, and product briefs — all demand creativity.
State of SaaS
Many SaaS companies that were in growth mode are facing a fascinating challenge in this moment. After hiring deep benches of scalers, pioneers, and builders, the focus has flipped. For knowledge workers who entered the workforce after 2008 or so, this is an entirely new environment: Layoffs, operational execution, and financial prudence.
With companies facing continued headwinds, that creativity — the ability to think in new and different ways — is more valuable than ever.
It’s a perfect opportunity for the high performing product manager to tap into their creativity like never before to help SaaS businesses navigate new waters.
Creativity in Decision Making
The principle job of the product manager is to identify the right customer problem, connect it to business value, and deliver the right solution. The primary output? The quality and velocity of their decision making.
Decision making requires the ability to think outside the box, to see things from different perspectives, approach the problem from different angles and generate new, out-of-the-box ideas with their teams. In other words: Creativity.
When creativity dwindles, it often shows first in decision making.
Here’s how to stay creative in your decision making and move from burnout to breakthrough:
Think in threes. Stress, urgency, and pressure leads to binary framing: “We can either do this project or this other project.” Fire up creative decision making by introducing a third choice. Just like in comedy and copywriting, creative decisions come from thinking in threes. Often, just by ensuring there are three choices, you end up combining elements of each into a novel decision.
Collaborative brainstorming. Brainstorming is a powerful way to generate new ideas and encourage creativity. Collaborating with team members from different backgrounds and expertise can help to bring fresh perspectives to the table. Collaboration is where the magic happens and leads to better decision making. Check out Miro’s brainstorming templates to spark some ideas.
Encourage risk-taking. Sometimes the most innovative solutions require taking risks. And the appetite for risks right now is…low! When fighting burnout, product managers must be intentional and encourage team members to take calculated risks and explore new ideas. Often the risks appear larger than they really are — and remember, most decisions are reversible. Just do it.
Premortems. Atlassian has a simple template to follow. The power of a premortem is that gets you out of the “delivery rut” and explore twists and turns before they happen. Product managers can ask "what if" questions to challenge assumptions and explore new possibilities.
Product Managers: This is your moment to lean into a new chapter of your story — new challenges, new pressures, and new opportunities to exercise creativity in an entirely new way.
That creativity — the ability to think in new and different ways particularly through decision making — is more valuable than ever. Lean in!