Yesterday, Ashish - our usability expert, came up to me expressing his concern about whether his work is adding value, and does it make sense to continue working. I shared with him some lessons about working on a product as compared to working on projects, and about teamwork, which I think is relevant to all of us. So I thought I should share the same conversation with all of you.
Working on a product is different from working on a project. It is like the difference between running a marathon v/s running a short distance race. When you run a 100 mts race, you put all your energy into the race right from the beginning, and finish as fast as possible. In a marathon, you run as fast as you can without getting over-exerted. Your speed increases in stages, and as you come closer and closer to the finish, you run faster and faster. The problem is, in the product development marathon, you do not really know the terrain in advance - sometimes the road is a steep climb and sometimes it’s a nice downward run - sometimes the road is straightforward and you can see the way forward clearly, and sometimes its all curvy and every turn gives you a surprise. To win a marathon needs you to dynamically adjust your running style to the terrain, and most important, keep running come what may. So if you’re a short distance runner and are used to the short development cycles of projects, welcome to the world of marathons 
Another important aspect in a long distance run is teamwork. You know how a flock of geese fly in a V formation? As each goose flaps its wings in its place in the formation, it creates uplift for the goose following it. By flying in a “V” formation, scientists have calculated that the whole flock adds up to 71 % more flying range than if the geese flew separately. Any goose that falls out of the formation quickly feels the drag and joins back. By working together in a team, we can fly much longer than if we were to do it alone.
But who leads the pack? When the goose in the lead gets tired, it rotates back into the group, and another goose takes it’s place in the lead. Now this is obvious - shared leadership ensures that no single person bears the brunt of leading from the front. But how do you think the geese decide who’s to lead at what time? The answer is that there is no “decision” - each goose flies thinking it is the leader. It’s speed is determined by the current energy levels. The goose with the most energy automatically flies a bit faster, and happens to become the leader. When it gets tired, it automatically falls back and another takes the leading position. If they had “decided” to follow the “mother” ( or father) goose at all times, they would not complete the journey!
When a goose gets sick or shot down, two geese will drop out of the formation and follow the wounded one down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is either able to fly again, or dies. They then either catch up with their flock or find another formation to join. They never fly alone.
Welcome to the race!
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