This article is the first in our 'Product tips for my former self' series, in which we ask product leaders to share the most valuable tips and advice they wish they had known when they were first starting out.

This letter is by Randy Silver, a Product Management consultant, coach, speaker and author. Randy is co-host of The Product Experience podcast and has held a wide range of positions in his product career including Founder, Chief Product Officer and Head of Product.

The letter:

Dear Randy,

You’re a bit of an idiot. Trust me, I know.

Don’t worry about it too much - after all, so is everyone else.  That’s not meant to be harsh… it’s just that we all make mistakes, and it’s not helpful to characterise the people around you as always brilliant or completely useless.  They’re (almost) all brilliant, in their own way, at least sometimes.  And recognise that even the best will make mistakes from time to time.

It’s also a good idea to remember that everyone else does not share your context.  When you’re banging your head against the wall in frustration because others don’t prioritise things the same way that you do, it’s a good idea to do some motivation mapping.

In fact, it’s an even better idea to do this before you propose anything: try to understand, for every partner, stakeholder & customer how they’d answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”  If you don’t know the answer to that, there’s no reason why they should share your opinion on the matter.

You’re a writer and editor, and a pretty good storyteller.  You know how to communicate.  Make sure that you’re doing effectively, to build a shared context.

And don’t forget that you might - shock! - be wrong. Strong opinions aren’t bad, but be generous in changing your mind and giving credit.

Remember that evidence beats promises, and that success, in other people’s eyes, is a combination of both evidence and opinion.  You’ve got one shot to get this right, so make sure you build up well of good opinion before delivering any bad news . If you don’t, that will be the basis of how people think of you. Recovering from that is hard.

When in doubt, try something.  When you can’t do that, ask for help.  Be generous in returning that help & paying it forward.  There’s always someone who’s figured out any small problem, and you love them for it.  Being that person for others will always pay off in the end.  Find a community (or 3! or start one!) of people who are in a similar situation.

And finally: Lean, Agile, etc -they’re terrible religions, but great philosophies. Learn how to apply the principles and you’ll make it work most anywhere - the ideas solve a lot of problems. If you stick with the language and strict implementations, you’ll face way more pushback.

You’re going to be fine.  I mean, we’re still an idiot, but significantly less of one.

• You

PS: Maybe it’d be a good idea to not sell off some of those Amazon shares at the bottom of the market. Hold on to them.