After reading the preface and first chapter of Product Management in Practice, I see a product manager’s job as less about being in charge and more about creating alignment and clarity on a chosen vision. The part I found the most helpful was actually the description of what product management is NOT. I have always struggled to explain PM to friends or family…my dad likes the “manager” part of the title, but doesn’t get how you can even have PM interns. The book made it clear that the role is not about authority, but about the facilitation of the right conversations and decisions. Not just the right conversations, but also conveying the message correctly to engineers, designers, and other stakeholders, too.
Another part that resonated with me was the part that said not to worry about having the “optimal” background for PM, since people can come from music, philosophy, or anywhere else. I once met a finance recruiter that told me something similar saying that you do not have to be an econ, business, or finance major to work at their firm because “it is easier to teach smart people finance than to teach finance people to be smart”. I think the same idea applies here, which makes the role feel more accessible than all the overthinking that people (including myself) do.
If I could ask Matt LeMay questions, I would want to know if he thinks having technical experience makes someone a better PM, especially today when credibility with engineers really matters. I would also ask how even though he says not to worry about coming from the “right” background, how he thinks a new PM can build the trust and respect from their team if they do not come from a traditional background or years of experience.
