In my previous role as a product manager, it was easy to get mired in the details between engineering requirements, testing, failing, retrying, etc. A lot of the time, my work seemed tedious and harder than it should be.
The COO of the company delivered a message during an all-hands meeting that has really stuck with me and helps ease the frustration that comes with getting caught up in the details of the day-to-day when you’re trying to move quickly.
Who likes donuts?
Imagine walking into a donut shop, smelling the fresh baked donuts, and eating your favorite. Amazing, right?
You know who doesn’t like donuts? The workers in the donut shop.
Every day the workers at the donut shop make the donuts. They see donuts all day and then they go home and their clothes smell like donuts.
They’re in it. It’s a bunch of hard work and it sucks. All the while thinking, this is really how donuts are made?
Some days it feels like you’re working in the donut shop.
But to the people buying and eating the donuts, it’s amazing. All they see is the finished product, and they love it.
It’s easy to forget why you’re in the donut shop to begin with. You get close to the work and the process and you get frustrated with the tediousness. But when you think about the person eating the donut, and the experience you’re creating for them, it brings it all back.