How to rock your first year as a Product Manager

Product Management is that one role with high expectations and less clarity. The sheer diversity and breadth of work may be overwhelming for the new hires.

Last month I completed my first year as a Product Manager at PayPal. The journey blessed me with a great learning experience and tons of exposure. I got lucky to be part of some amazing partnerships and product launches.

There is no substitute for understanding the product, connecting with the users, building specific product metrics, or drafting a good roadmap. However, understanding few other important aspects will help you stand apart.

You can't rock without the support of your Engineering and Design teams - It's important to always remember that you alone cannot decide and determine the destiny of your product. You cannot go to a battle without a trusting army and expect to win. The first thing you should do is to understand your team. Understand what drives your team members and what drains their energy. Schedule 1:1 with team members, spend time with them, and slowly built rapport. Involve them in decisions and make them feel part of the team. Most important of all, inspire them to work with you.

Build a vision for the product that inspires the team members to put their soul in the work.

ABC (Always Be Closing) - I love this anecdote from sales which talks about the importance of delivering.

It's easy to make presentations, talk big and give revolutionary ideas but it actually requires great grit and perseverance to take something to production.

Things will break, plans will fail, you may experience sleepless nights sometimes and all this will test your perseverance. Your focus should always be on the delivery.

In the initial days of your career, it's important to gain good credibility by executing things, moving forward, and taking products live. Establish yourself as someone who can get things done and is trustworthy. Tell yourself that there is no one to blame if things fail. This will make you feel more accountable and take ownership.

Lead from the front and make your presence felt.

Bring a Breath of Fresh Air - When you are new to the Product, you have a unique opportunity to see the product in a totally new light and in a way it was never perceived before. Think about unthought value propositions, customer segments, or new revenue streams the product can offer.

Talk to customers not just to get feedback about the existing product but to understand their problems and psychology. Use these cues to build the foundations of your roadmap and vision. This vision and the action to achieve the vision will earn you respect and love. Work hard on this.

Network - A lot in the Product Management world depends upon your informal relations with peers. Understand the political hierarchy of the company, understand how different teams and departments operate, and understand people better to make deeper connections. A good network will also open your brain to more diverse ideas.

You should also gain a good understanding on when should you rely on email, call, coffee or escalations to get work done.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew - The easiest way to fail is to sign up for work that cannot be possibly finished. In the tryst to prove yourself and gain visibility don't sign up for more work. You may face some serious pressure from top management, sales team or cross-functional teams to get certain work done. Understand fully what the team can deliver, keep a buffer for failures and sign up carefully.

When you are new and young, saying NO seems tough but trust me, a strong and polite NO at the right time will save you and your team from a lot of unnecessary stress.

I had a hard time saying NO initially and that's natural. Saying NO tactfully is a crucial PM skill that I'm actively trying to learn.

Don't obsess about the perfect plan - In my initial days, I was obsessed with perfection. I would spend hours carving out dependencies, predicting failure points, and over-optimizing things. I soon realized that it was not worth the effort and there is no such thing as a perfect plan.

No matter how hard you try some level of failure at some point is inevitable. Sometimes things are beyond our control. Don't be hard on yourself in such times. Don't get discouraged or stop taking risks because of few setbacks.

There is no recipe for a perfect product on the first go. The best products of the world have iterated and evolved through several feedback cycles. Keep your feedback loops and release cycles shorter.

Don't wait for the perfect product, perfect moment, or perfect conditions. Keep Shipping.

"If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late." - Reid Hoffman

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