What I wish I knew starting out as a Product Manager (PM)
A perspective from someone who’s been doing this for some time
Writing this article takes me back to the time when I learned about this role. These are five aspects of product management that I wish I knew earlier.
Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash
1. The product manager role is definitely a T-shaped role
Product management needs T-shaped skill - depth of product skills and ability to work with different functions such as marketing, sales, legal, advocacy, design, user research, and engineering.
Learning the basics of these functions will give you a common ground to collaborate.
Reach out to your cross-functional teams to help you get started. For instance, request the engineering lead to provide a walk-through of architecture. Or shadow your user researcher, when they conduct interviews or develop surveys, etc.
2. Influencing without authority is a key skill
As PMs, we work with cross-functional teams and other PMs. These teams do not report to us. Yet, we need to align these stakeholders to our vision. This requires ability to influence without authority.
Leverage your vision and your subject matter expertise to align your stakeholders.
Develop those T-shaped skills mentioned above.
Be open to feedback. Adjust your plan based on feedback from cross-functional teams.
Check out our earlier post to see how to influence without authority.
3. It’s a humbling experience
It takes a village to ship a product. It is a humbling experience when all the teams come together to shape and ship a product.
4. Relationships are paramount
Building relationships with the people we work with is important.
Create a safe space where you and your peers can brainstorm and ask questions.
Ensure you honor your commitments.
Be willing to take feedback, provide honest feedback and be transparent about communicating changes.
5. Product management may seem like a lonely job
Product management may seem like a lonely job at times. A single person is responsible for aligning and working with all those various collaborators.
You will have doubts - did you make the right decision, is your presentation communicating what it should, are you missing a key aspect of the problem? Every Product Manager has these doubts.
Reach out to other PMs in your organization. Ask them if they can brainstorm with you, or listen to a presentation and provide feedback, or review a scope document. I have been lucky enough to have support from amazing peers in every organization I worked in.
What did I miss? Was there anything else you wish you knew earlier as a Product Manager?
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Did you learn something new?
😎 Already knew everything
🤔 Some new things, I already knew some
🤯 Totally new information to me