Prodholm Syndrome: The Product Manager’s battle with Stockholm Syndrome

The legendary James Brown helps Patty the Product Manager reach new heights

Has something like this ever happened to you?

For the past 8 months Patty has been working with the same customer, a very important customer who has agreed to be the first one to implement a brand new product. Those 8 months have been full of ups and downs; requirements that surfaced way too late, product defects that proved to be very time consuming, change orders that no one wanted to approve, and new project team members that wanted to cancel the project.

But Patty was able to maintain a good relationship with the customer, she did her best to keep people focused on solving problems and putting things in perspective, and she is finally seeing her way clear to launching the product the next quarter. And just when she starts looking forward again to weekly status meetings and her issues list is showing more resolved issues than newly opened ones, Patty’s manager orders her to stop devoting so much time to the customer, to move on to new initiatives, and to tell the customer that if they don’t approve all those change orders immediately, the project will be put on hold.

Patty is shocked. She remembers clearly how on the flight back from that winning presentation a year ago her manager told her that she was the only one who could make this happen, that this was the most important customer for the future of the company and she was to do everything she could to make the project successful. And now, a year later, her efforts don’t seem to be appreciated at all, the customer’s name has gone from a magic word to a four-letter word, and no one wants to be associated with this once glamorous project anymore.

Here she is: She gave the customer her word that she would be there to make them successful. She missed her company’s holiday party because she was with the customer, she cancelled her vacation plans twice because she did not want put the project at risk… Patty wonders what she should try and rescue first: the project, her career, or her sanity.

She realizes she feels betrayed by her own manager and feels a deep loyalty towards the customer. She is worried that she is suffering from the Product Manager’s version of Stockholm Syndrome, also known as Prodholm Syndrome.

Conditions that Can Lead to Stockholm Syndrome

In 1973 criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot coined the term Stockholm Syndrome to describe a phenomenon wherein hostages have positive feelings towards their captors. Bejerot worked with bank employees in Stockholm who were held hostage by a team of bank robbers for six days. He observed that the bank employees had become emotionally attached to their captors and defended them.

Bejerot and others have identified the following conditions that can lead to Stockholm Syndrome

• Hostages view the captor as giving life by simply not taking it. The captor becomes the person in control of the hostage’s needs for survival.
• The hostage endures isolation from other people and has only the captor’s perspective available.
• The hostage sees the captor as showing kindness. Hostages often misinterpret a lack of abuse as kindness and may develop feelings of appreciation for this treatment.

Stockholm Syndrome is a very serious condition. It is considered a common survival strategy for victims of abuse, and has been observed in battered spouses, abused children, prisoners of war, and concentration camp survivors. The stresses Patty experienced as a product manager by no means compare to the stresses suffered by hostages, abuse victims, or prisoners. And yet, it is easy to see the parallels to her situation:

• She perceives the customer as giving life to the product.
• She has become isolated from her own company and had become deeply enmeshed in the customer’s organization.
• She has become a very strong advocate for the customer, explaining their requirements and defending their actions time and again.

Statistics from the FBI show that roughly 27% of hostages show evidence of Stockholm Syndrome. Possibly, Prodholm Syndrome is just as common, in Project Managers, Consultants, and Product Managers.

Is there a Treatment?

The literature warns us that treatment of Stockholm Syndrome takes time and patience and generally involves therapies that help the victim avoid isolation, develop support networks, and re-develop their view of nurturance and caring.

Recovering from Prodholm Syndrome also takes time. Here are some tips to help you recover:

Avoid isolation and develop support networks: Make time to participate in your own company’s events. Is it your turn to go to a tradeshow? Are there training opportunities you can take advantage of? Attend local meetings of professional associations. Use Facebook, LinkedIn, Meetup or Barcamp to connect with colleagues. Develop support networks in your family, your neighborhood, or any other community of which you are part.

Recalibrate your view of accomplishment and success. Perhaps your customer’s successful product launch is not the best indicator of success. It is possible that by cancelling the project and relaunching the product in another market segment, your company will derive more profit from the product in the long term. Think back to how you and your colleagues first presented the product to the customer. What problem were you trying to solve for the customer? Is the problem still relevant? Are there other ways you can solve the problem?

Chances are that you will not only recover from Prodholm Syndrome but come out of the experience with a better ability to manage complex projects, set direction for your products, manage conflict, and act as a mentor or source of support for others.

Prodholm Syndrome Risk Factors

An important question for those of us who are about to embark on complex projects is how to prevent Prodholm Syndrome. The three factors that put you at risk for Prodholm Syndrome are your organization, your role, and your own nature.

Some organizations are infamous for leading their employees into Prodholm Purgatory. Consulting firms may send their consultants on long-term assignments, keeping them away from any support structures. Those who get stuck on unprofitable projects may end up stuck in Prodholm Purgatory so long they decide to leave the company. Those who make it through Prodholm Purgatory can count on a promotion.

Other organizations have strong support structures ranging from mentoring programs, performance reviews, reward and recognition programs, and a clear communication of corporate and individual goals.

Some functional roles are more inherent to Prodholm Syndrome than others. Product Managers who are able to develop a holistic view of the product and market are not as susceptible to Prodholm Syndrome as implementation specialists or project managers. Some would argue that a Product Manager should never have been in Patty’s situation. A Program Manager should be responsible for the customer success, while a Product Manager looks out for the overall success of the product in the market. This is a great way to define roles and responsibilities, but there are not always enough resources to organize this way.

Finally, some individuals are more likely develop Prodholm Syndrome than others. Perfectionists,worriers, or those of us who over-empathize can develop Prodholm Syndrome quite easily.

Prodholm Syndrome Prevention

So what if you’re a perfectionist working in an organization that offers no support structures, and you have just kicked off a project that has Prodholm Syndrome written all over it?

A way to prevent Prodholm Syndrome is to get a clear understanding from all stakeholders as to what constitutes success, and to have an understanding of how the project fits into your own career path. This will help you re-calibrate your understanding of success and accomplishment over time.

It is also very important to maintain your support networks, no matter how much time the project demands of you. Tell your customer and your manager you will be attending a Product Camp on Saturday. They may be dismayed that you are not spending your Saturday catching up on issues lists and bug reports, but hopefully they will realize that the tips and techniques you will encounter at Product Camp will benefit them in the long run.

What if it’s Terminal?

So what happened to Patty? She analyzed her situation, she spoke with colleagues and mentors. She decided that her company did not offer the support she needed to be successful and she left. She setup her own consulting practice with a mission to help customers with product selection, vendor selection, and product implementation.

Patty likes to sing along with her idol James Brown to the tune of I FEEL GOOD:

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good, Prodholm-Free

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, Prodholm-Free

When I focus on my project
I know that my decisions are sound
and when I reach out to my network
I gain perspective all around

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, Prodholm-Free

When I focus on my project
I know that my decisions are sound
and when I reach out to my network
I gain perspective all around

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, Prodholm-Free

Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would
So good, so good, Prodholm-Free
So good, so good, Prodholm-Free
So good, so good, Prodholm-Free