Starting as a product manager brings both excitement and challenges. Along the way, there are numerous valuable lessons to be learned in overseeing products, coordinating teams, and achieving success. Reflecting on my own experience, I share the top 12 things I wish I had known as a product manager, aiming to provide guidance to aspiring professionals starting their journey.
Tanay Shah, Senior Product Manager at Amazon
Definition of a product manager carries by company
Understand that the role of a product manager differs from one company to another. If you feel like you’re not thriving as a product manager, it might be because of a mismatch between your skills and the company’s expectations.
The Loneliness of the Product Manager
Being a product manager can be isolating as it involves making tough decisions, managing stakeholders, and feeling like no one fully comprehends the challenges you face, despite being surrounded by teams and meetings.
→ Test your product management and data skills with this free Growth Skills Assessment Test.
→ Learn data-driven product management in Simulator by GoPractice.
→ Learn growth and realize the maximum potential of your product in Product Growth Simulator.
→ Learn to apply generative AI to create products and automate processes in Generative AI for Product Managers – Mini Simulator.
→ Learn AI/ML through practice by completing four projects around the most common AI problems in AI/ML Simulator for Product Managers.
The importance of effective communication
Invest in improving your communication skills from the beginning and make continuous efforts to enhance them. Strong communication abilities are crucial for success in the product management role.
Building relationships for success
Prioritize building strong relationships as they play a significant role in achieving outcomes. These relationships foster open communication, enhance understanding of different perspectives, facilitate smoother decision-making processes, and create a supportive environment that allows for better problem-solving and overall project success. Additionally, these relationships can help product managers garner support and buy-in from others by effectively communicating the value and impact of their ideas, actively listening to stakeholders’ concerns, addressing objections, and aligning their vision with the interests and objectives of key stakeholders.
Deep dive into users, product, and market
Gain comprehensive knowledge about your users, the product, and the market. This understanding will not only increase your colleagues’ trust in your judgment but also yield substantial returns on investment.
Empowerment trumps individual brilliance
Encourage ownership and empower your team members. By fostering excitement and autonomy within the team, you can drive better performance collectively rather than relying solely on individual brilliance. Embrace the mindset that the right solution can come from any team member, enabling diverse perspectives to identify the optimal solution that truly meets the needs of the user.
