How do I know things I don’t know?
From I have a product coach. 🤩 I learn a ton from her. Here is why I know there is a “product coach” and extend this question to how I know things I don’t know.
First, I know there are many things I don’t know.
Don’t panic. 😌 🧘♀️
Humans have developed knowledge for thousands of years, especially in recent centuries. We all stand on the giants’ shoulders. It takes time to climb on their shoulders. 🧗♀️
Any small thing has deep knowledge.
I started to drink coffee ☕️ because a colleague poured coffee every afternoon. It was simply coffee at the beginning. Then I saw he counted time, checked the water temperature, chose a filter bowl (there were many different ones), bloomed, etc. And it’s not just the pouring process, how to select beans, different ways to bake, even choosing which cup is a knowledge. 👨⚕️
Or fish, it’s not just fish 🐟. There are 🐡, 🐠, many different kinds of fish. Some are good for 🍣; some are good for 🥘.
Everything can be dug into pretty deep, to the level that is out of my imagination. 🪐
Everyone’s job is not easy. It’s all professional.
e.g., These 2 are professions. 🧜♀️
Accept it. Happy to know things I don’t know.
🤩 instead of 🤯.
Sometimes I’m worried there are too many things I need to learn. But when I am too eager to catch up, things go wrong. Instead of panicking, I’m excited to know what I don’t know.
Everyone knows things I don’t know. It’s great to chat with people.
And people like to talk about themselves. Sometimes I can’t help to stop talking 🗣, I’m learning to listen.
Ask + Search
Ask others about the things they are good at. I usually get unexpected results.
I chat with a coffee maker to know there are different tea 🍵 in Taiwan due to terroir. Starting with casual chats, then digging into something they want to talk. In a user interview, I found she has 4 refrigerators ‼️ for her 6 people family.
It’s similar to finding the right keyword. When I search for something, I may not get what I want if I don’t have a proper keyword. e.g., When I tried to find ways to increase ad revenue, the keyword “yield optimization” got better results than “increase ad revenue for publisher.” I tried and viewed several results before getting the right keyword.
It’s THE KEY 🗝 to opening a new world.
Step out so others can help.
I started to join PM groups, webinars. In the beginning, I always left as soon as the activities ended. Then I tried to ask questions. After server times, I joined a ProductTank Taipei Meetup, Product is Hard, by Marty Cagan. He spread the concept of Empowered since 2005 ‼️ What was I doing in 2005 !!
I asked him at the Q&A session how to build an empowered product team. Then after joining another online webinar,
I’d suggest contacting Teresa Torres (www.producttalk.org).
So there is “product coach”! I enrolled in her course, master course. Learning with other product managers from other countries was eye-opening 👀 🌎.
These few lines above took me 3 years, 2019~2021. 🚶♀️Just learning. I didn’t apply all I learned yet. I need more practice.
Reach out to others. Ask questions. 🙋♀️. People are kind to help.
See more here: Why do I need a supporting system? and how to build one?
Still don’t know who to chat with, what to talk?
Ask simple questions to the people you are familiar. E.g., How can I be a good spouse? My husband is an export of that. 👨🏫 He has a lot to say.
At 45:18, Marshall shows how to ask your spouse. (Definitely view the entire video; it’s fantastic ✨.)
Pace myself. 🚶♀️🏃♀️🧎♀️🏃♀️🚶♀️
When I had too many tasks, I jumped from one to another without accomplishing anyone. There is no multitasking! Just context switching.
It’s OK to leave many things unknown.
It’s happy to discover new things.
Just like weight lift. My muscles 💪 need time to recover and repair.
Here is why:
My fitness coach shared this video. 🤓 🏋️♀️ . I thought I enrolled in a gym course but Biology 🧬!? (That’s all I know after that course, muscle needs rest. 😅 I still don’t understand what ATP is.)
The brain is a muscle. 🧠 It also needs to relax.
Summary
Here is the plan — HAVE FUN 🥳.
Happy to know things I don’t know.
Exciting to discover new worlds.
Spend 10% of my time stepping out. — Meet new people. Explore new places. Try new food.
Just have fun. 🤪
🤩 I’m happy to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn Karen Hsieh or Twitter @ijac_wei.
🙋🙋♀️ Welcome to Ask Me Anything.
