The role of a product manager appears to be much more of a “people and time” manager than a product manager based on the author’s perspective. Though I am hesitant to define a product manager as anything, given that the author did emphasize above all else that the if a product manager’s role is anything, it is ambiguous. After reading these chapters, I do feel much more that a product manager’s role is people-centric, which is different from my initial impression. I did think of product managers as product owners and builders, and honestly, I thought that to be a successful product manager, you had to be a mini-ceo or overachiever.
I took this class because I wanted to learn more about product management, but I wasn’t sure if it was actually the right fit for me. This reading actually made me feel more enthusiastic about product management, since working with people, thinking on my feet, and being flexible, are all things I enjoy and had no idea where part of the job. It is a little scary to think of how volatile it seems to be in the role of a product manager (especially at a company where the role is less defined or understood), but exciting to consider the possibilities. I would want to ask the author about the specifics of how he managed to move from being an overachiever to a product martyr to actually being good at the job. It’s one thing to know its an ambiguous role, and another to know how to be good regardless of that. I would want to learn more about how to actually succeed in the role. I also wonder how the expectations product manager’s have for themselves and the role align with hiring manager’s expectations when interviewing PMs. Is there a certain set of skills they look for that differs from the actual role? If the job is somewhat misunderstood, how do we as prospective candidates understand how to do the job and also how to get hired for it?
