How to Ensure You’re Headed in the Right Direction
Product managers think a lot about North Star metrics.
Typically, it’s the single number that everyone in the business wants to move. It can be revenue, number of widgets sold, number of customers, or something else.
It’s reported on regularly and its intention is to keep everyone focused on the same goal. It keeps every decision anchored to “How will this impact The North Star (i.e. the most important thing)?” With it, teams can act autonomously and remain focused on critical tasks. If a decision will have zero impact on N*, then it’s likely not that important.
Having your own personal North Star
I like the idea of having your own N* metric that defines where you’re going in life.
Ideally, it guides all of your decisions around what’s important to you and who you want to become.
Its something you reflect on that defines the person you want to be and the life and the life you want to build.
The problem with identities as North Sars
I used to think of a N* in terms of specific identities:
- I want to become a runner
- I want to become an online writer
- I want to become a CEO
Each of those identities have characteristics within them that matter — staying physically healthy, exploring ideas, and being your own boss.
But I’ve come to realize that many “identities” also come with traits that aren’t aligned with what I want.
Runners have to keep their weights as low as possible to perform well at races and ideally have low muscle mass in other areas of their bodies other than legs. Online writers might be inclined to write at a particular cadence or about certain topics based on the online audience. Being a CEO comes with a host of responsibilities, like raising capital or people management decisions.
How to choose the right North Star
Many if not all identities come with “bundles” of beliefs, some of which jive with you, and others that don’t.
For that reason, identities don’t make good N*s. You might find yourself adopting characteristics that don’t align with what you want just because they happen to fall into that identity bucket. You have to find a way to identify the parts that align with your goals and throw out the parts that don’t matter.
To do that, I’ve learned to define my N* in values.
In each decision I make, I ask myself a few key questions:
- Am I being as kind as I can be right now?
- Am I being loyal to people I care about?
- Am I being sympathetic (particularly in moments where I find it hard to be)?
- Am I being curious and open-minded?
- Am I being ambitious (could I push myself more)?
These are the things that guide my behaviour, rather than a pre-defined kind of person.
Why values help
I was recently in a scenario where this way of thinking helped me.
I was out late at a bar and it was well past my usual bedtime. The people I was with (that I’d just met) were chatting about something I didn’t care about. My eyes were heavy, and seeing it was past 11pm, I wanted to go home.
Then I thought to myself, am I happy with how I’m presenting myself right now? Am I being as kind as I could be?
It’s a simple shift.
I have previously thought that I don’t want to be a “night owl”. I don’t like staying out late because it impedes my other goals like getting a good sleep and waking up early to be productive.
But I have equally important life goals around kindness and being good to other people. Recognizing that the whole set of values is more important than any single identity helps you maintain a balanced life.
Values promote balance
Without values, many of us might choose ambition (fitness, work, and financial success) over other things that matter. Having a well-rounded set of values that we stay anchored to, check on regularly, that guide all of our decisions helps us make sure we really are moving in the right direction.
And for what it’s worth, how long it takes to attain the goal doesn’t matter. Values can’t really be “achieved”.
Instead, simply setting yourself in the right direction and not getting deterred is the most important thing.
