I’m working on myself so I can work for myself
Several years into my Product Management career, a mentor advised that I needed to stop working for the company and start working on it. I needed to shift from requirements and launch management to the vision of where my product was headed. It was time to stop prioritizing improvements to what the product was and start dreaming about what the product could be.
This week, I made the decision to leave my full time job without something new lined up. While I don’t know what my future will hold, I do know that it’s time for me to work on myself so that I can eventually work for myself. I need to shift from satisfying other people’s requirements to focusing on the vision of where I want my life to head next. I need to stop optimizing my current daily life and start dreaming about what my life could be. The role I was in did not leave me enough time or energy to do the kind of deep introspection and strategic thinking required for me to get there, and so I’ve walked away.
I fundamentally believe that technology can make the world a better place. I also believe that the founders I’ve had the privilege to work for felt the same. Yet, somehow, the greed of investors consistently corrupted that altruism. Even companies with well-articulated mission statements and a culture of giving still fall prey to “needing” to deliver a substantial return. The…
