Tip: Don’t be a Super Grover 2.0 product manager

If you have little kids, you’ve probably seen the new version of Super Grover. Super Grover 2.0 seems faster, has more gadgets, and appears to be more aware of himself, but he is still pretty useless to a person in need.

Super Grover’s Motto: “He shows up.” And what does he do when he shows up? He uses his powers of observation to point out the obvious, he questions effects instead of causes, and he investigates half-baked solutions that always backfire. In addition, he often repeats other people in order to appear like he has original ideas, but he fools no one. In the end, people (or penguins in the video below) get so sick of Super Grover 2.0 that they just figure out how to solve their problems themselves.

To me, this is the minimum product manager (mpm), and like a minimum viable product (MVP), such a manager is easily mistaken for someone who actually adds value. A good product manager should do so much more.

Here’s a clip from Super Grover 2.0 for your enjoyment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 4:32 pm and is filed under Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.