Wow – can you even imagine working someplace like that. I’m sure there are downsides, but that policy just might make up for a lot of other things…

- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental PM Blog
“Learn How Product Managers Can Be Successful And Get The Respect That They Deserve”

I especially liked this part:
“When you are asked by management to “go do” a feature or partnership – ask “why?” … good management will provide you with the reasoning behind the decision. If they balk, explain that you will need to communicate this decision across the organization…”

I used to work at a mid-size startup where there were a lot of Exec fiats. But when we asked “Why?”, we invariably got a good answer, sometimes even changing of the said “fiat”.

However, most employees simply didn’t bother to ask “Why?” at all – for a variety of reasons. The lesson I learned from this is that good managers should go out of their way to encourage employees to ask “Why?” – even if answering that question consumes more of the managers’ time.

- Raj
Accompa – Affordable Requirements Management Software for Product Managers