Product Managers - Modern Story Tellers !!!

Product manager role has evolved to be more challenging yet more productive while this career option has become a new buzz-word these days, particularly in startup world. I happened to meet few young lads from some of the premier institutions who aspire to be in product management space in one of the summits recently. When I asked these aspirants for the reason they want to be so, And what I got to hear the most? the classic Venn diagram, the revolutions they dreaming about, Product managers as supermen, etc. My insights on the mindset that is needed to be in the product space.

Compared to traditional orthodox "Project Management", "Product Management" is based more on an attitude than a skillset

Storyteller

Product Manager should be a compelling story teller about what they do, how they do, why they do it and where they wanted to go. The story should speak the skills, humility, values , team , customer and values we would be bringing with what we are building. Every PM candidate has a story to tell, but most lack core storytelling skills that draw out emotion and make an impact.

Yes ? No ? - Do you fit the bill as Prod Man ?

The product manager doesn't have control over the strategy, mission, design, etc. They rather inspire and drive the vision, design, strategy and lead execution. They are not supermen. They don't develop something revolutionary every day.

Majority of the startups fails in finding the right Product Managers assuming the project manager mind set fits the bill in product manager role.

Developing brand new products right from scratch is something that inspires you? you should rather be an entrepreneur than a product manager.

What it takes to be a product manager? It’s a not-so-easy question. One key trait of great PMs and i.e. anyone having the skill to capture the praise of the audience. However, business owners hold different preferences for product manager hiring. A company product culture can be either data, technology or design-oriented driven.

Knowing how technology and code work is mandatory. Doesn't mean the arduous skill to code, what I mean is that a product manager must have a knowledge of the system including the tech stacks and trends.

Types & Roles

The role of a product manager is based on the company’s nature, the structure of the company or the stage in which the product presently is. Standard rules and pointers in PMBOK wont work in product culture.

There are various types of product managers such as:

• Growth PM (to ensure growth)
• Technical PM (role like Engineering Manager)
• Analytics Oriented PM
• B2B, B2C PM ....

Have these traits at work, you fit the bill as ProdMan:

• Deal with uncertain tasks and instantly adapt to "get things done"
• Break down glitches and proactively "search for solutions"
• Build relationships with and maintain clear communication with all teams
• Place themselves in customers’ shoes to cultivate product insights
• Establish adequate credibility to unite a team around a specific product strategy
• Maintain an agenda for prioritisation and to make the right product trade-offs
• Stay inquisitive about all technical things happening around

Experimentation is new norm

Continuous experimentation is an inspiration, rather than an ordinary activity, for the product managers. As the field keeps on exploring and revealing the best practices, today’s product managers should progressively acknowledge the paybacks of being data-driven and customer-centric and have increasingly fused experimentation into their workflows. Product managers report direct customer feedback as the best source of unique ideas.

Final Thoughts

Product management is a field that does not have tangible immediate satisfactions. There is no second of clarity where one can find and fix an issue, or when one has designed the faultless user flow, or when one has finally managed to meet the budget. You’re going to be wandering around making a lot of small decisions and it is going to take enough time to experience a final product.

Product management may often be a very restrained job but eventually, there is great joy in discovering that your product could be touching the heart of millions of users worldwide.