Defining Your Spider Web
In a prior essay, I wrote about Designing Your Real Quadrant, which is a short hand way to think about your positioning in terms of quadrants.
It's a bit of a blunt tool, but can be effective for increasing clarity and focus.
I came across a reminder that often our shape is more nuanced, with more attributes, and that we need to get very clear on how we fit.
The spider web comes from having multiple axis in a spoke and hub format, all emanating from the center. Each axis represents a skill, competence, strength, preference, and the further out on the axis, the stronger your skill.
So, for product management, one tool breaks down PMs along the following axis:
- UX Innovator
- Technician
- Growth Driver
- New Market Fit Expander
- Zero-to-One Innovator
- Internal Scaler
- General Manager
- Product Optimizer
Well, a perfectly well rounded person would have the shape of an octogon.
But I think there are some axis which spike much more than others, and you get a unique spider web shape.
I don't know if there are the best or only axis for you, or even for PM. Although it does seem to make sense.
These are things where, when I look at them, I resonate with some more than others.
For example, while I have had to do the Internal Scaler bit, I don't enjoy it; it's a necessity and frustrating for me when the basic block and tackling of internal scaling haven't been addressed. But that's typically a failure for PM leaders who don't address it (not saying they do it, but it must be addressed).
Product Optimizer also doesn't fit me; but I see how there can be cultural conflicts if these differences aren't identified.
One of my managers was an optimizer; he saw the business to be the core product and fixing broken windows.
I had difficulty making the case for new form factors to expand distribution.
He told the CEO that the new proposed project wouldn't attract new customers at scale and so she killed it; she was looking for large quick fixes (a red flag for the company).
What is your spider web?
There are two sides to understanding this.
The first is identifying what areas you may need to improve on. It's not possible in a competitive environment to not address the broad strokes over a role.
But the second is to ensure you are in a space or market where what your strengths are are appreciated and deliver value.
This may mean being very strategy and clear in your communication.
What happens if these axis haven't been defined for you already?
Well, that's the work.
Often understanding what those typical attributes are, especially if those attributes create a crowded market and aren't things that stand out.
Figure out what those are so you know what many people expect, and then identify through experience what actually does add value and that you can bring to the market.
A good example is the study of Yellowtail Wine, which looked a the traditional market considerations for how buyers selected wine, which often had to do with vintage, the name of the vineyard's fancy name, an elegant label and bottle.
They identified a growing market, one targeting people who are typically intimidated by win, and instead offered clear to understand and brightly colored labels.
You can do the same for your Category of One.
Especially if you're a Product Manager, thinking about the attributes of most Product Managers and their skill sets and breaking down what is actually valuable to companies that you want to become valuable for.