What makes the best Product Manager?
I happened to read this nice article on UX Studio and chuckled to myself. I always wanted to write what really makes a great product manager but this author makes a great start documenting some of those qualities.
He is comparing that role with that of a mom and to be honest - it does resemble in some sense.
Take a read:
http://uxstudio.hu/ux-blog/dream-product-manager-whos-just-happen-bit-like-mom/
Besides what the article suggest, I think below qualities will transform you from good to great product manager. Believe me, I have worked with some of the bests and the worsts.
1. Sharing the knowledge - I have seen a lot of information hoarders (they think that makes them powerful - wrong! you lose trust pretty quickly that way) and the syndrome that follows it. These product managers don't empower others around them but they merely see them as "order-takers".
Its a lose-lose proposition, as one of the main job of product manager is to facilitate information and that means always be ready to share KPIs, analytical data, trends, market info to guide product decisions. Share more and see the magic happen. The bright folks around you only help you get further.
2. Always ready to present - PowerPoint should be your communication language. You should tell stories, you should guide folks to see the future, you should generate a good debate and dialog. I have seen Product Managers who don't even take notes in meeting, so forget about driving the discussion with an engaging story.
A great product manager will drive the conversation/will always have an agenda or document to begin the discussion as s/he shares the vision for the product.
3. You are not the Project Manager - There is a difference. If you are spending more than 30% of your time in PM activities - you need to change course. Now!
4. UX is your best friend - Take UK folks along, give them autonomy and challenge their thinking to make the best design decisions. If you start making calls on form labels and alignment and copy - you are in a wrong seat.
5. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate - Did I say communicate? You have many stakeholders to listen too and you are in the middle/you are the glue. Majority of your time should be to spent in balancing the communication and anticipate where it is lacking and needs adjusting.
I really like the word Product Leader or Product Owner better than the Product Manager. Its not about just managing the routine activities of the product (they are just as important) but more importantly its about owning the future vision of the product and taking the team members and business stakeholders along with you the finish line.
Author Bio: My name is Mandar Pathak and I run the website www.optimizeprodux.com and its associated blog. Optimize-ProdUX is my consulting adventure advising clients about better User Experience (UX) and Digital Strategy. The office is located in St. Louis, MO.
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