Common Team and Uncommon Product

Believing is Seeing!

Creating an exceptional product from an ordinary team may seem impossible, yet history repeatedly proves that greatness often emerges from humble beginnings. A common team, driven by a shared dream, relentless passion, and unyielding determination, can develop and produce products that reshape markets. Leadership, vision, and the courage to challenge the status quo are fundamental to transforming a common team into an uncommon force.

•      Ignite Passion with a Dream

A successful product journey begins with a dream -- an ambitious vision that unites the team.

It is the dream that propels the team forward, whether facing headwinds or riding tailwinds.

It is passion, the fuel that drives perseverance through setbacks and adversity.

A team that understands why they work can conquer any challenge.

Ignite the entire team’s passion with one compelling vision.

Leadership makes everyone believes in the dream – only then will they see it.

•      Leadership

Leadership plays a pivotal role in this transformation. A true leader embodies the principle, light the way for your team like a candle in the darkness.

One ordinary night during the IT winter of 2001, a teammate sitting beside me asked, "I’ve noticed you working here from 8 AM to 10 PM almost every day. Is that true?" I smiled and replied, "Yes, it is. From Monday to Friday, for three years straight. And you might even spot me here on weekends—all by choice." And I didn’t even mention the frozen income. During those challenging times, I led a team to develop the demanding Product D. In the end, we delivered what became the money-printing product.

By setting an example, inspiring others, and cultivating trust, a leader transforms individual efforts into a cohesive, unstoppable force.

•      Organized Team

An organized team with clear roles, open communication, a structured approach, and rapid learning and error correction capabilities ensures efficiency and focus.

To cultivate a team, leaders must inspire and nurture talent. Building a culture of ownership, passion, and purpose creates a ripple effect, propelling the team toward greatness. Iterate for excellence is also crucial. Continuously and rapidly refining the product based on feedback and market insights allows the team to achieve greatness over time. Uncommon products are born from common teams that believe in themselves, challenge the impossible, and never settle.

Inspire a minimum of six team members, and you will have a thriving and powerful team.

As those six individuals will plant and nurture similar seeds throughout the garden. In time, your garden will bloom in the spring.

A story about Irresistible Product T: After conducting market insights and product portfolio analysis, the team set out to develop Product T, targeting the mid-end consumer market. As a new product, the team initially lacked expertise and preparation. The industrial designer (ID) began by working on the product requirements. Throughout the design phase, the product manager scheduled multiple rounds of design reviews to continuously refine the concept. Cross-functional feedback including aesthetics and ergonomics concerns from sales, marketing, and service teams was actively gathered and incorporated. When a prototype was finally presented to a potential customer, it immediately captivated their attention. So impressed by the product’s appeal, the customer was ready to place an order on the spot. This is the magic power of “1+1=4 “!

•      Know Your Customer

The journey from common to uncommon demands a deep understanding of the customer. Knowing your customer’s needs, desires, and pain points guides product design and development. “We hear you, but we cannot understand you.” This is a joke from a local Marketing colleague during a market ice-breaker journey. But the joke echoed in the end: “Customer-centric values seep into everyone’s soul and blood”.

One of executive from industrial customer once commented. “When I said something to a vendor, nothing happened. But when I said same thing to you, you present a prototype demonstration in six months.” How can a team that prioritizes stakeholders' interests compete with a team that puts customers first?"

•      Down-to-Earth Approach

Staying grounded -- being down-to-earth -- ensures the team remains focused on delivering practical, impactful solutions. It’s about balancing vision with reality, daring to dream while staying rooted in customer value.

A Story About Code Review on Product M It started as a routine team code inspection—nothing out of the ordinary. However, when we reviewed the metrics, the defect density was higher than our baseline expectation. A retrospective meeting was scheduled to discuss the results.

While commuting on the bus, a thought struck me: the code owner was a passionate and dedicated developer, and publicly highlighting the metrics might unintentionally dampen her enthusiasm. I decided to cancel the meeting and explained my reason to the core teammates. The outcome was remarkable—without the meeting, the developer continued delivering consistently high-quality work.

This is just a glimpse into the story behind Zero-Defect Product M.

Summary

As the saying goes, “A herd of sheep led by a wolf can defeat a herd of wolves led by a sheep.” When an ordinary or above-average team is empowered by strong leadership, driven by a shared dream, well-organized, customer-centric, and grounded in practicality, an uncommon product becomes an inevitable outcome.

The journey to an uncommon product is not a straight path; it demands courage, adaptability, and perseverance. But for those who dare to dream and lead with belief, the rewards are transformative -- proof that even the most ordinary team can create something extraordinary.

Believing is Seeing!