Identity check

In this mock product management interview, I admire the interviewee taking a step back to reflect on whether the product idea he’s thinking of even aligns with the identity of the company before moving forward.

Is this the kind of thing we would want to build?

This identity check strikes me as a useful thing for individuals to do as well.

We are creatures of habit, but sometimes we don’t like all of our habits.

Therefore, it’s worth asking ourselves before we reflexively commit to something: “does this still align with the kind of person that I want to be?”

James Clear, who wrote the New York Times Best Seller Atomic Habits, calls this identity-based behavior change.

The idea is that we need to understand the kind of person we want to be in order to make meaningful changes.

We then must, like this product person, continually ask ourselves whether our commitments are in alignment with this desired identity.

Is this align with the kind of person I want to be?

And if not: what would the kind of person I want to be do instead?

If we don’t continually question what we do, we fall back into routine — for better or worse.