As Lemay implies, product managers are like chameleons, changing color according to their environment. Their role(s) will change depending on the size of the company, the goals of the product team, who exactly they’re working with, etc. And often you need to derive your roles yourself because no one is going to tell you exactly what they will be. Apart from the job being highly context dependent, I like “big picture” and interdependent the job can be. Your team’s success is your success. You learn to communicate effectively with many different stakeholders. You learn to trust your team, that they are contributing positively to the product. You learn to identify and address any unresolved conflicts hiding in the shadows. There are many interpersonal skills to develop when considering the PM role.
A question I have for Lemay, which is probably addressed in the rest of the book, is what are the telltale signs that indicate an “unhealthy” product team? By “unhealthy”, I mean possibly unproductive, a bad working environment, bad interpersonal dynamics, etc. Because the author talks about the profiles of a bad product manager and says that they were some of those profiles at one point. But, how does being a “Jargon Jockey”, for example, affect people on the team? Do they seem more aloof? Do they not want to talk to you? How about the “Product Martyr”? Maybe people on the team are now hesitant to come to you about issues in the workflow because you are always so deflated. It was helpful to think through those profiles, but it happens often where you don’t realize that you are taking on one of those profiles. That’s why, it’s good to know how to identify signs from the team (e.g. they are not honest with you, they feel uncomfortable to speak up, tasks are not getting done etc.) if your “profile” is the problem. There’s a chance that you could have “Steve Jobs Acolyte” tendencies and the team is fine with it, still getting tasks done. I wonder what indicates when the PM profile is actually a problem.
