As a Stanford CS major, I didn’t know how I felt about fitting into the stereotype of Google’s ideal product manager as mentioned in “Product Management in Practice”, but I did learn a lot about what product managers actually do. The product management role has always intrigued me, that’s why I decided to take this class in the first place. I hoped it would demystify what seemed like an all-encompassing role available at all big and medium tech companies. Reading this chapter made me realize that it is truly all-encompassing, in different ways than I initially thought. At its heart, product management seems to defy a concrete definition. It seems to be a job that demands adaptability, because of its fluidity, and sometimes seems to be borderline chaotic.
Being a product manager is about communicating, first and foremost, and fighting for products and features you believe are crucial to the bigger picture. While it is about the product, it is even more significant. A standout point from the chapter is the idea that product managers operate within vast areas of responsibility yet with minimal authority, which was an interesting perspective. When I think of the product manager role, I was under some misconceptions that seemed to be covered by the hilarious descriptions of bad product managers, so the “Jargon Jockey” and “Steve Jobs Acolyte” are definitely cautionary tales. Being a product manager isn’t about flexing linguistic prowess or emulating the ideal “mini-CEO” we have built up in our head. It’s about understanding the ecosystem of a company, and making sure everything aligns in the right direction.
A question I’d love to ask Mr. LeMay is: In the constantly evolving landscape of business and technology, how do product managers maintain the delicate balance of attaining business goals and serving customers?
