Worst Mistakes Companies Make When Building a Product Team Culture

If we asked you right now to describe the product culture of your team, what would you say? If you are like most companies, your answer would probably be some variation of, “Well, I think we are pretty good.” 

But how good is pretty good?

We all know the importance of culture. It is hard to make things happen when people are not aligned on what they are working toward. 

It is time for us to get real about what a product culture really is. In this article, let us uncover the mistakes your company might be making with your culture. But first, let us define what it means.

What Is Product Culture?

Culture is about our values. It is what we believe and the things that make us who we are. 

Product culture is how we make decisions, how we approach problems, what we reward, and how we respond to failure. 

Most importantly, it is the most powerful force in your company that determines whether you succeed or fail. 

But, culture is not just important for teams working on products. Every group of people working toward a goal has a culture, whether they know it or not. 

4 Mistakes Companies Make in Their Team’s Product Culture

Thinking only about sales

You might be thinking, “Our company sells stuff, so it is obviously important to focus on sales.” 

But that only looks at the short term. If you ignore your product culture, you are ignoring the long term, and how it impacts your team and your company. 

You have to think about the long-term health of the business and discuss things like how you want to manage and grow in the future.

Allowing executives to dictate all decisions

It is easy for executives to forget that they are not experts on the ground. They need to be focused on their role and provide direction, not dictate how things should be done. 

Unless you have an executive who’s deeply involved in the day-to-day of your company, they’re not going to understand how your product works or what it takes to make great decisions and progress.

Not engaging everyone in the team

How many of you have worked at a company where there were a few people who did all the work and a few others who just sat around and complained? 

If you don’t engage everyone in your team, they’re not going to feel like they’re part of something important. 

It’s easy to take it for granted that everyone wants to be there and will do what it takes to get the job done. 

Having no plan for when things go wrong

Most teams don’t fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they don’t have a plan when things go wrong. 

The truth is, some things will go wrong. If your company doesn’t have a plan for when this happens, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. 

You need to be prepared to handle these situations with grace and care for your team, or else everything will fall apart.

The Bottom Line

Culture allows your team to make decisions without any one person’s opinion holding more weight than anyone else. 

You can’t fix something until you understand what’s wrong with it in the first place. To fix your product culture, you need to know what you’re dealing with. 

By assessing your current state and looking at where you want to go, you can set yourself up for success and begin moving towards building a great product culture for your team.