One of my main takeaways from Product Management in Practice by Matt LeMay is that product managers need to drive incremental changes and require a lot of self-direction. LeMay opens the chapter by recounting his first day as a product manager — he had all the important basics down, but was left to his own devices to figure out where to start. This left him feeling lost and uncertain about how to proceed. LeMay also emphasizes how dynamic the role of a product manager is. While many describe a product manager as someone who sits at the intersection of business, engineering, and design, LeMay explains that product managers often end up taking on whatever odds and ends the team needs to ensure the project reaches its end goal.
Something else that stuck out to me is the different archetypes LeMay describes for the types of product managers not to be. From the Jargon Jockey to the Hero Acolyte, there seemed to be common themes: not listening to your team members, communicating poorly, and placing yourself above others. These all seem to be common pitfalls of bad product managers. Some questions I’d like to explore are: conversely, what are some characteristics and examples of good product managers? And how should a product manager come across as knowledgeable and command respect while still serving as a connector for the team rather than positioning themselves above it?
Overall, I feel that LeMay provided a great introduction as to what a product manager is and what their day to day may look like. I think some questions I would ask are:
- How did you manage conflict in your team – manage differing visions?
- What are some archetypes of good product managers?
- What does “driving incremental change” look like on a day-to-day basis?
