Some thoughts on being a great Product Manager


You are a product evangelist and you are a great storyteller…

I honestly believe that the gift of storytelling and evangelism is the one single trait that distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the rest. Storytelling does not necessarily mean you need to be a stand-up comedian or be able to write the next Lord of Rings trilogy. It does mean being able to ‘connect’ with your audience by talking to them in their language, walking through problems they have and taking them on a journey that they can see themselves on. This storytelling piece is so closely related to that other PM trait ‘empathy’ - being able to walk in your user’s shoes, feel their frustrations, identify with their pains. The closer you can get to this the better your storytelling and ‘integrity’ becomes and the more you will be comfortable standing up in front of a room and evangelising your latest and greatest.

You should be able to understand the basics of business, economics, and trade - commercial acumen is a key skill for senior product roles. You can be knowledgeable enough in basic concepts like budgeting and cash flow but you should also know the structures of other teams & departments as well because any change in another department may affect your vertical. It is useful to be able to interpret such changes happening in the company as a whole.

You approach problems and projects with a deeply analytical mindset…

A product manager needs to know a sufficient level of statistics and other relevant analytical hard skills to keep up with all the data that is pouring in. Being able to read graphs and other forms of data representations as well as visualising any hard data is also important. In order to evaluate and boost the success of the product you are managing, you have to know how to handle the numbers. If you are not comfortable using Google Sheets or Excel to manipulate data extracts get on the case. There are umpteenth courses out there that will improve your skill sets here….not only data management but data visualisations. Great storytellers are able to extract the diamonds from huge data sets and set them for all to see and wonder at.

and know that great organisational skills keep teams relaxed and effective.

Not just in preparation for or during the meetings, organising the various interconnecting JA teams is a task that never stops. You should be able to understand and interpret the progress of each team and make sure they are collaborating effectively. Constantly check on your teams and ask if they need any help. Even though organisational skills get improved with experience, do not hesitate to be an active leader from day 1 - your Product Roadmap is a key tool to help with this.

You prioritise like a Michelin star chef in order to hit your objectives

As the product manager, you are responsible for creating a strategy for your product and maintaining this strategy. You should know how to prioritise ruthlessly. Consider this as a part of an optimisation process. You should be decisive in determining which action to take first and which action not to take at all. Trying to do everything at once will be exhausting and inefficient. Knowing when and how to say “no” is a valuable skill, especially when product management is the case, as you need to get in touch with various people as a part of your position. Hoe do you get comfortable with making these decisions….know your subject matter better than all else. With knowledge comes power.

Almost goes without saying. This is fundamental to your success as a PM and in your career as a whole. You should be able to communicate with people in a kind and compelling way. You should also deal with mistakes in a constructive way. That’s how all members of your team can work together in harmony. Supporting your colleagues is motivating for any managerial position, and product management is not an exception. To help your colleagues work enthusiastically, you should understand them and, as the manager of the team, you should offer a good vision for them.