SUNDAY REWIND: Humility and personal resilience in product

Thor Mitchell, Head of Platform at Miro, argues that while humility might conflict with many leadership traits, it is essential for a leader.

He offers a five-point plan:

• Assume you’re dispensable
• Learn from anybody
• Handle the menial
• Embrace being wrong
• Absorb blame

Holly Donohue, then CPO at Purple, looks at resilience and argues that it is often misunderstood. Her definition of resilience is being able to be happy and successful again after something bad happens.

She suggests three strategies to develop resilience:

• Build awareness
• Gain perspective
• Take positive action

Post author Shaun Russell concludes with the observation: “Mental strengths like humility and resilience are often seen back-to-front. Although it’s intuitive and socially encouraged to project strength and minimise bad feelings, it can make you weaker in the long term. Humility isn’t a weakness, and resilience isn’t about relentless positivity. The product manager who understands this is in a much better place to succeed in their work.”