The document discusses helping a company overcome four obstacles to finding its "personal legend" or core purpose through excellent product management. The obstacles are: believing goals are impossible; fear of hurting others; fear of failure; and fear of success. As a product manager, one can help by building strong relationships, clearly communicating vision, managing projects well, prioritizing timeliness over details, and planning for success. Overcoming these obstacles allows a company to enjoy market leadership, loyal customers, and realizing its potential.

1. Finding the “Personal Legend” for your Company through Product Management Excellence Keynote Session By: Stephen Pollack Serial Entrepreneur Founder, www.insidespin.com Entrepreneurs Seeking Excellence

3. Every Company has a goal to achieve

4. Every team has a mission to complete

5. Why do business dreams go unrealized more times than not?Why We Fail To Achieve(from The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho)

6. We are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible We grow up with this constraint building layers of prejudice, fear and guilt Four Obstacles to Overcome

7. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything to pursue the dream We don’t realize that those that love us want us to be happy and are prepared to accompany us on the journey Four Obstacles to Overcome

8. We fear the defeats we will meet along the path We suffer more that others when it does not work out We must have tremendous patience in difficult times We must uncover how the Universe is conspiring to help us The secret is to fall seven times and be strong enough to get up eight times Four Obstacles to Overcome

9. We fear realizing the dream for which we fought. The possibility of realization fills us with guilt – so many who have tried have failed, we feel unworthy of success We commit stupid mistakes near the end, never reaching our goal We’re prepared to renounce joy and conquest But … Four Obstacles to Overcome

10. If we overcome these obstacles, we find the Company’s Personal Legend and enjoy the ride thru success The Personal Legend is the path chosen for your business here on Earth. Whenever a Company does that which gives it enthusiasm, it is following its’ Legend. However, not every team has the courage to face up to its’ own dreams. The job of the product manager is to help the Company find its Personal Legend and address these four obstacles, but how … Personal Legend

11. We are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible Build relationships with Development, they are integral to overcoming the “it’s impossible” obstacle Provide requirements with subtle direction not dictation Show strong project management without enslavement Demonstrate wise decision making Be known for visionary leadership Beat the competition, it’s possible, no matter how dominant they are Make the reasons to choose you visible in your products and the organization as a whole Finding the “Personal Legend”

12. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything to pursue the dream Make sure the product vision is understood and embodied within the organization, rally people to support the mission Work smartly managing product lifecycles with care, use Agile when needed, support the need for work-life balance Finding the “Personal Legend”

13. We fear the defeats we will meet along the path Make sure release and launch planning is well organized and filled with foresight Face market analysts head on with well thought out messaging, hard references and strong value propositions Understand that timeliness is the critical achievement, not the details Finding the “Personal Legend”

14. We fear realizing the dream for which we fought. Stop committing stupid mistakes, never reaching the end goal Don’t over commit/under deliver Prevent taking implementation short cuts Make sure everyone is ready for success to arrive If we overcome these obstacles, we can enjoy the discovery of the Company’s Personal Legend … Finding the “Personal Legend”

15. Market leadership Global visibility Loyal customers Revenues and profits Positive reputation Competitive success Support to continue further down the path Realization that work can be a fun part of life Plan for Success instead of failure! Finding your Company’s“Personal Legend”

17. Thanks Stephen Pollack Visit: www.insidespin.com Questions/Discussion

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21. My Living Will Last night, my adult kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'They got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine.They are such assholes .