People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.
Steve Jobs
As a Product Manager, a key aspect of the role is to seek out product ideas that will help solve a heartfelt user problem. However, the reality is that you are not going to be able to take every great product idea and ‘run with it’ — there will be times that you have to say “no”, and how you say it can have a lasting impact on those relationships that are so important for your success as a PM. As mentioned in a Fast Company article on this subject, “worse than saying no is having to say no twice because you didn’t say it clearly enough the first time.”
So, how do you go about saying “no” to product or feature idea when approached by a stakeholder or member of your team? Start by asking questions to help validate if the idea aligns with your product strategy:
- Does it fit with the product vision?
- Can it be done in a way that will improve or innovate on what we already have?
- Will it help the business grow?
Asking these questions will force those who approach you with a product idea to think about how it aligns to the holistic goals of the product. This should lead to one of two outcomes (in most cases but not always) — either the person pitching the idea will realise that this isn’t a product idea that will align to the broader goals of the product and the discussion will end there, or it will prove compelling enough to look into further at some point in the future.
In the event that the investigative approach does not work and you need to address it in a different way, a PM should have a framework in their toolkit in order to comfortably navigate these conversations. An example framework recommend to us during the GA course was the “Yes — No — Yes” approach popularised by Harvard Professor William Ury, author of The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes.
The first “Yes!” is a way to acknowledge the request and indicate that you understand why this is a heartfelt problem the stakeholder wants to solve. They probably feel really excited about their idea, so shutting it down straight away with undoubtedly hurt your relationship. Once you have listened to the idea, make sure you explain your position and share your compelling reason why it is a “no” — it may be because you don’t have the time or resources right now to work the idea, it will accrue technical debt or it diverges from the product roadmap. It is important here to also mention the value of having data to help emphasise the reasoning behind your “no”. As highlighted in a Product Coalition article, PMs “need to have some influencing and negotiating powers with (their) stakeholders, but nothing can beat hard facts and data.”
After you have given your firm but respectful “no” (backed up by any data you have to hand), ensure that you do not dismiss the idea entirely — offer a compromise so your relationship with the stakeholder remains strong. in other words, say “yes” to the person and “no” to the task.
I wanted to conclude by saying this — it’s important to remember as a PM that saying “no” is not inherently bad. However, saying it without empathy can hurt your relationships with your team and stakeholders if not handled in the right way. Applying the framework I have highlighted above was what we learned during the GA course but there are certainly other approaches that you can use (I recommend reading this great article posted on Mind the Product as a place to start). Be creative, and figure out what works best for you. Like many things in Product Management, it is about mindset, not methodology.
There will be times in your role as a PM that not doing something can be as valuable a product decision as taking action. As Steve Jobs once said — a guy who is generally regarded as being pretty damn good at ideating and building great products — “I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done”.
Matt Bagnara 