Good vs. Great Product Managers: What's the Difference?

In the world of product management, there’s a distinct difference between being a good product manager and becoming a great one. While both roles are vital to a company’s success, the impact they create, their decision-making processes, and how they lead their teams set them apart.

1. Impact on the Company’s Trajectory: A good product manager consistently delivers high-quality products. Their focus is on meeting targets, adhering to processes, and ensuring product-market fit. However, a great product manager goes beyond this by shaping the company’s direction through their work. They don’t just manage a product; they strategically influence the organization’s future.
2. Metrics-Driven vs. Metrics-Informed: Good product managers rely heavily on metrics to guide decisions. They focus on data to ensure product success. In contrast, great product managers use a blend of quantitative data and qualitative insights. They recognize that metrics should inform, not dictate, and skillfully balance hard data with customer empathy.
3. Domain Expertise: Good PMs research their domain extensively, staying updated with industry trends. Great PMs become global experts in their domain. When they’re new to an area, they seek out the counsel of experts, striving to achieve a deep understanding of the field quickly.
4. Customer and Team Engagement: A good PM listens carefully to customer feedback, which informs their product hypotheses. Great PMs, however, listen not just to what customers say, but to what they don’t say. They anticipate future needs and trends, pushing boundaries. In team settings, good PMs inspire with their ideas, but great PMs ensure that every team member feels ownership and passion for the product.
5. Strategic Vision: Where good PMs execute a pre-defined strategy optimally, great PMs challenge and improve the strategy itself. They focus on ensuring that the company isn’t just executing flawlessly, but that they’re executing on the right vision.
6. Handling Challenges and Learning: Good PMs are exceptional problem solvers, but great PMs are problem preventers. They know which issues to tackle and which to let go. Additionally, good PMs validate their ideas through trusted colleagues, while great PMs actively seek out dissenting opinions, always asking, “What am I getting wrong?”
7. Balancing Logic and Emotion: Good PMs base their decisions on logic and reason. Great PMs, while valuing logic, understand that customers are driven by emotion as much as by practicality. This understanding allows them to create more engaging and impactful products.

The distinction between a good and a great product manager lies in their scope of influence. Great PMs not only deliver quality products but transform the company’s trajectory, elevate the entire team, and possess a holistic vision that balances data, customer needs, and emotional intelligence. While good PMs ensure things run smoothly, great PMs make sure the company is moving in the right direction. Becoming great takes time, effort, and a mindset focused on long-term impact rather than short-term wins.