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The dopamine dilemma: Are you chasing career growth or genuine fulfillment?

Author

Sergio Pena
August 25, 2024

❝

Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.

John Wooden

Happy Sunday!

Have you ever questioned why you want to grow in the Product Management career ladder? Today’s content will show you how important that exercise is for finding your true happiness.

Source: Created with AI.

Our brain is powerful, but it can be deceptive, especially with desires and ambitions. Dopamine, the brain’s “reward” chemical, can make you chase career growth and promotions for the thrill, not because they truly align with your values or happiness. It’s important to ask yourself: Are your career goals genuinely yours, or are they driven by dopamine’s allure?

As you move up in your PM career, managing your path becomes more challenging. The climb often brings greater responsibilities, making it easy to lose sight of what truly matters to you. Regular introspection is key to ensuring your goals align with your true happiness. Career growth shouldn’t be a race fueled by external pressures but a balanced journey that considers both personal and professional fulfillment.

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During your entire product career, you’ve been told to be customer-centric. You’ve been told to spend a generous chunk of your time talking to customers, to lead and participate in numerous formal user interviews, to have your ear to the ground, and to be in tune with your users. But have you ever thought about the downsides of it?

Despite clear advantages, groundbreaking innovations often struggle with widespread adoption. Historical examples, such as lemon juice for scurvy prevention and the Dvorak keyboard, illustrate that even life-saving or efficiency-enhancing ideas can face resistance.

By working backward from customer needs, rather than rushing to build new features, teams can create solutions that genuinely enhance the user experience, leading to more successful and meaningful products.

Transitioning into product management can be challenging but rewarding. The role offers influence, variety, and opportunities to drive meaningful change, but it requires a unique blend of skills, from strategic thinking and execution to communication and leadership.

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