As a product manager, you know how important it is to learn from others, share your insights, and build your network. But how do you add value to your product management community, especially in a remote or hybrid setting? In this article, we'll explore some ways to contribute to the growth and success of your peers and the industry as a whole.
One of the easiest ways to add value to your product management community is to join and participate in online forums, such as Slack channels, LinkedIn groups, Reddit subreddits, or Quora spaces. These platforms allow you to connect with other product managers, ask and answer questions, share resources, and exchange feedback. You can also learn from different perspectives, discover new trends, and find opportunities. To make the most of online forums, be respectful, helpful, and authentic. Don't spam, self-promote, or argue. Instead, offer constructive criticism, acknowledge other viewpoints, and thank people for their input.
Mentoring: Offer your time and expertise to mentor less experienced product managers. This could be via one-on-one sessions or group mentoring programs. Create a Knowledge Sharing Platform: Start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel to share insights about product management trends, challenges, and solutions. This can help others learn from your experiences and gain new perspectives. By contributing in these ways, you not only enhance the product management community but also reinforce your own understanding and skills in the process.
Tap into Insider Perspectives with Podcasts Podcasts offer an easy way to soak up advice and insights from product leaders worldwide. They are skyrocketing in popularity among product managers. In fact, many PMs are now hosting their shows as a platform to discuss real-world strategies. They provide tactical tips and varied perspectives by interviewing fellow experts on specific topics. Regular listening exposes you to new mindsets and approaches while building your knowledge. If you have a relevant experience to share, reach out to collaborate on an episode. Participating in the growing PM podcast community is a powerful way to learn and contribute.
Another way to add value to your product management community is to write and share content that showcases your expertise, insights, and stories. You can create blog posts, newsletters, podcasts, videos, or case studies that cover topics relevant to product management, such as best practices, frameworks, tools, challenges, or lessons learned. You can also share your content on social media, online forums, or personal websites to reach a wider audience. Writing and sharing content can help you establish your credibility, demonstrate your value, and inspire others. It can also help you improve your communication, critical thinking, and creativity skills.
Writing is a core PM skill, yet many avoid publishing content publicly. Putting thoughts into words fuels clarity in weighing options and making decisions. Writing reveals logic gaps and crystallizes solutions. Sharing insights through bite-sized tips or long-form pieces builds community by empowering others facing similar challenges. Start small: summarize key takeaway from tests, analyze launch successes or failures, break down prioritization frameworks. The first step is embracing writing's importance for PMs, then determining how to translate your learnings to help fellow product managers. What topics would benefit you most? The goal is to motivate PMs to create valuable content by highlighting benefits and offering actionable tips.
A third way to add value to your product management community is to mentor and coach others who are new to the field, transitioning from another role, or looking for guidance. You can offer your time, knowledge, and support to help them learn the skills, tools, and processes of product management. You can also help them with their career goals, challenges, or opportunities. You can find mentees or coachees through online platforms, such as MentorCruise, Product School, or Platohq, or through your existing network, such as colleagues, friends, or alumni. Mentoring and coaching others can help you build meaningful relationships, give back to the community, and enhance your own skills and knowledge.
Noteworthy bullet points Share real-world experiences. Provide guidance, not directives. Ask thoughtful questions. Build confidence through encouragement. Establish trust. Motivate a growth mindset. Set clear expectations. Listen actively. Balance support with accountability. Be a role model. Celebrate successes.
A fourth way to add value to your product management community is to attend and host events, such as webinars, workshops, meetups, or conferences. These events allow you to learn from experts, network with peers, and showcase your work. You can also host your own events, such as panel discussions, Q&A sessions, or hackathons, to share your ideas, experiences, or projects with others. You can use platforms, such as Eventbrite, Meetup, or Zoom, to organize and promote your events. Attending and hosting events can help you stay updated, expand your network, and increase your visibility.
Prioritize attending events In my experience, attending such an event is an energizing and inspiring affair. Imagine thousands of passionate product managers in one venue, there to learn and connect. The energy is palpable during keynote speeches from industry leaders sharing insights. I suggest prioritizing these global PM events, especially in the post-Covid era, as we are too comfortable sitting at home.
A fifth way to add value to your product management community is to collaborate and innovate with other product managers on projects, initiatives, or challenges. You can join or form teams, communities, or organizations that work on solving real-world problems, creating new products, or improving existing ones. You can also use platforms, such as Product Hunt, GitHub, or Figma, to showcase your work, get feedback, and find collaborators. Collaborating and innovating with other product managers can help you leverage diverse skills, perspectives, and resources, as well as create value for your users, customers, and stakeholders.
Seeking peer feedback as a collaboration strategy Getting feedback from fellow product managers can greatly strengthen your product strategies and plans. For example, you could ask a peer group to review your PRD and provide constructive input on the user stories, requirements, or proposed features. Their outside perspectives may reveal blindspots in your thinking or validate you're on the right track. Or, if you're preparing to pitch leadership on a new product concept, gather feedback from PM peers who have been through the process before. They can help poke holes to improve your argument and increase buy-in. Keep the group small and focused. Synthesize the feedback to make well-informed product decisions.
Collaboration isn't just a choice; it's a catalyst for innovation. By embracing collective brilliance, we shape products that resonate, not only with our users and customers but with the entire product management ecosystem. Our collaborative endeavors radiate value that ripples far beyond ourselves.
Contributing to open-source projects It is a great way to showcase PM expertise while giving back to the community. For example, PMs could create or improve features for PM tools on GitHub, like adding templates to ProductBoard or integrating new capabilities into Aha! Providing code and documentation for public PM frameworks also helps, like building out examples for RICE prioritization. Or you could suggest updates to popular product methodology sites such as productschool.com based on real-world experience.
to contribute to the community it would be good to have high emotional intelligence, empathy, and also be open to feedback. But it is important to separate constructive criticism from the assessment of personal qualities. More often we get the second. I also disagree about not arguing with the participant - as this means accepting his opinion as the truth. You can find the truth in the discussion, but you must first define the concepts. Otherwise, you can talk about the same thing and still not understand each other.