Cranky Observation of the Day: On So-Called Visionaries

Today, the Cranky Product Manager brings you the "Cranky Observation of the Day."  Are you ready?  Here goes:

99% of the time, he (and it's almost always a "he") who utters the phrase, "I'm a visionary"...

• ...possesses no more vision than an ant lost in a sugar box
• ...is fundamentally unorganized and lacks a basic ability to execute

Usually these self-important weenuses are disproportionately in Product Marketing, although some are in Product Management.  They're the incompetents who are unable to use their own products and -- worse -- have no plans to ever learn how to do so, proclaiming such things to be minor "details."  Yet, somehow, they feel qualified to direct product direction and speak on behalf of customers within the company.

That phrase, that idiotic proclamation, is meant to excuse the speaker from doing any actual work, and to try to foist the execution of these so-called "big ideas" on the listeners, at least for the day.  No doubt, the next day, there will be yet-another-vision to inflict on others.  If there is one thing these wannabes all share it's lack of focus.

Don't misinterpret the Cranky Product Manager.  There are TRUE visionaries out there. They are rare. They have unique abilities and foresight, coupled with an ability to inspire. However, the Cranky Product Manager has yet to ever hear one of these genuine articles EVER boast of their vision as their defining characteristic nor claim they were too "big picture" to bother doing as well as thinking.  The proof of their imaginations and foresight is in their actions, not in their self-delusions.

Comments

[Kerry]

Or the only slightly less pretentious "I'm a big-picture person", meaning, "I'm too busy dreaming up grandiose ideas to bother figuring out whether those ideas are actually feasible or pracitcal." Ugh.

[The Cranky Product Manager]

Oh dear me, YES, the Cranky PM has met many people who recite gems like "I'm more of a visionary than a details guy.", "I have a great ability to see connections that others can't and develop the overall vision."

This type of spewage is especially common when interviewing job candidates. MBA weasles are especially guilty. It's also common in strategic discussions when the big question comes up: how you actually EXECUTE the wild-assed strategy these weenies concocted while sitting around the bong pipe last night.

[Bruce McCarthy]

I am really enjoying the Cranky PM. A question, though, for everyone. Have you ever really run into anyone actually claimed out loud to be a "visionary?" I mean, are there really people that pretentious?

I've met plenty of useless product marketing people, but I never heard one actually claim that epithet.

[Rob Downing]

Barking-out-loud funny! Thank you.

[bob corrigan]

If you ran into Joe Baloney on the street and he announced "I am a visionary" or more succintly "I see visions" you'd step off the sidewalk, walk briskly around him then reach for the Purell.