This post is part of the ‘What Product Managers can learn from …’ series.It is also published in the Startup Edition.Just recently I re-watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a wonderful documentary about Jiro Ono, an 85 year old sushi chef from Japan who leads a tiny 8 seat sushi bar located in a Tokyo subway station. It repeatedly got awarded with 3 out of 3 Michelin stars and is known as the best place in the world to get sushi.I first stumbled upon the documentary a few months back when Jason Evanish published his own recommendation. Since then I’ve seen it a couple of times on various occasions and it always is a true joy to watch.I believe as Product Managers we all can learn a lot from Jiro, especially when it comes to hard nuts to crack like hiring, quality assurance and leadership …We live in a world of ‘good enough’. People talk about diminishing returns, finding the sweet spot and 80/20.We easily forget that in order to create something that truly stands out and delights customers it takes vision, passion and standards that are way beyond ‘standard’.

Often you will have to set your own standards since ‘industry standard’ or being ‘better than the competition’ will cause you to aim way lower than you could.where to buy eel for fishingI feel this is the reason why sometimes whole industries get disrupted by people who are ‘outsiders’ that naively expected way more than anyone of the incumbents was used to deliver.tienda online productos sushiSet your own standards and live by them. fish for sushi gradeI’m not surprised that everyone I know is drawn to the companies that produce the best products. jiro dreams of sushi opening quote

Who cares about companies that do mediocre work? I don’t even want to imagine how hard it must be for these companies to attract talent.sushi tienda onlineIf you carefully watch the interactions and incredibly tight feedback loops of his team you will find that every time someone points out what could have been done better it is acknowledged and immediately executed. sushi cat 1 full screenNo arguing, no rationalization attempts, no excuses.jiro dreams of sushi name of restaurantHis team is as motivated to strive for perfection as Jiro himself. If a shortcoming is discovered you will hear a short hai (yes, I understand) and people are back in the flow, striving to do better.I believe it is an art to separate your own ego from the work you are doing.

This is related to something I found in the Heroku values …On the one hand you want to be passionate about what you are doing but on the other hand you don’t want to let your ego get in the way of a better solution. You don’t win by being right all the time, you win by identifying things that are great wherever they came from.If you apply for a job at Jiro’s sushi bar you know what you are getting yourself into. It will take about 10 years of dedicated work until you’ll be allowed to cook tamagoyaki (egg sushi). It takes a long time of training and personal growth until Jiro considers you a shokunin (master craftsman).It seems like Jeff Bezos of Amazon also isn’t shy about communicating his expectations …This is what he told potential recruits back in 1997. In the middle of the dot-com bubble where hiring top talent was extremely difficult and in a climate where other companies were offering ridiculous employee perks.Jiro and his staff are constantly preparing and tasting their ingredients and final products.

Every day, many times a day.Eating your own dog food is a great way to get into the shoes of your customers. Many software companies test-drive preview versions of their products internally and or with a tiny fraction of their customer base before they release the changes to everyone.It is hard to assure quality if you don’t care about how your own food tastes like. Caring more than others is a real competitive advantage. Ingrained in the company culture and incredibly hard to copy.Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo even refused to get broadband installed at home until the majority of US households got it in order to get an authentic experience of the products she was responsible for (back then at Google).It makes a lot of sense to regard your suppliers as part of your team. panies like Apple take this to the extreme. They tightly work together with their suppliers to help them succeed. Tim Cook ,who led Apple’s operations for many years has built one of the most impressive supply chains of the IT world.

Whether it is gorilla glass, CPUs, memory or other essential parts, Apple’s focus on healthy supply chain relationships is one of the reasons they are able to create the products people fall in love with.Jiro’s infinite passion about creating the perfect sushi is what drives all of the observations I made. Whether it is tightly controlling the supply chain, choosing to only work with the best people (whether that means his staff or his suppliers) or his obsession about helping people grow and enabling them to do their best — Passion is his fuel.If you find something you really care about, other things tend to fall into place. In the end everyone cares about great products & passion — customers, partners, investors, potential hires and employees.If you found this post helpful follow me on twitter where I tweet about Software Development & Product Management ☺Also make sure to check out Blossom an Agile/Lean Project Management Tool I’m currently working on ☺It took seven months for renowned deejay, drummer, producer, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, Late Night mainstay, and member of the Roots, Questlove, to get a seat at Sukiyabashi Jiro for his birthday.

The small three-star Michelin restaurant, and subject of 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, is hidden in the basement of a Tokyo subway station. The 20-course tasting menu commands 30,000 Japanese Yen a seat (over $300 CDN), but with only 10 seats a night, part of what you’re paying for is the intimate connection with 90-year-old sushi master, and national treasure of Japan, Jiro Ono. Questlove spoke about his experience at Sukiyabashi Jiro and the anticipation leading up to it during a joint SXSW SouthBites panel with Austin-based Chef Paul Qui. He isn’t the only person to go through great lengths to secure a seat at the legendary establishment, a near impossible feat for foreigners. One writes about her three-part attempt to get a reservation, the final of which required a distant Japanese colleague call and make the reservation on her behalf. Like Questlove, she went on describe the life-altering experience that is Jiro’s transcendental sushi. With hundreds of world-class sushi restaurants to choose from, some of which have also earned the coveted three-star Michelin rating, it begs the question – what makes Jiro’s sushi so special?

Undoubtedly, Jiro is an artist. He’s dedicated over 75 years of his life to perfecting his craft. He demands nothing less than perfection from himself and his protégés, one of whom is Daisuke Nakazawa, owner of New York Times four-star restaurant Sushi Nakazawa. During the panel, Chef Qui questioned whether or not there was a significant difference between the quality of the sushi served by Jiro and his protégé. Ultimately, he believes there is. But it isn’t entirely what’s on the plate. According to Qui, the greatest difference lies in the story. The context in which someone experiences a product or service shapes how it’s perceived. While Jiro’s success may have started with superb product, what takes it to legendary status is arguably the context in which it is experienced, and the authenticity of the source. The documentary sheds light on the obstinate man and his meticulous process; the unexpected humble location make it a hidden gem, both figuratively and literally;

and the difficulty of securing a coveted reservation makes getting a seat a milestone accomplishment. Questlove was so excited for his experience that he woke up at 5 am for an 11 am reservation. Add to that an intimate and theatric presentation of the product, and you have an incredible story. “He makes 18 pieces of food and hands it to you. With five guys behind him, he stands in front of you as you eat each piece”, he enthusiastically shared, remembering every little detail of his experience. The experience, and story, undoubtedly becomes part of the product. It’s where the humanity comes in, and creates meaning. “Food is not just art. It’s a narrative”, said Qui, whose next restaurant endeavor will reflect this. Toward the end of the panel, he announced his plans to open Otoko, an intimate 12-seat sushi restaurant of his own tucked in a discreet, windowless, second-story space at a boutique hotel. “The way I judge projects is whether I’m going to go into them is whether it excites me or not.