I wish there was a better analogy here, but I see the product manager’s job as being the glue for all of the teams and the work that needs to be done for a product to come to life. They fill the gaps in knowledge and work missing on teams, they connect seemingly distinct things in a way that makes them as one, and (in the case of woodworking & wood glue) make the newly created whole stronger than the original. The general description that PMs connect design, engineering, & business serves to give a notion about the role of the job, but it does not give an idea of the consistent duties that must be performed. I believe what shows up across the board for the Product Manager that is the “real work” is deeply personal work.
Product Managers must be very self aware. They must understand their place, perception, and relationship to others. They almost need to know more about the way someone thinks about them than the other person even knows themselves. It is crucial that the PM maintain their mental health and clarity so they may always lead their team with the right attitude and perspective. They must be able to identify their insecurities to prevent ineffective management and encouragement. They must pay close attention to their words so that they communicate ideas clearly and elegantly. Furthermore, they must be self aware to the point that they realize what they are not asking or failing to consider. They must recognize their own shortcomings, because no one will be there to define how they can best fill their role.
I think it was very well put in the reading as a “practice.” A practice is always evolving. Eventually, one grows more comfortable in practicing, but an experienced practitioner does not believe they have reached the mountaintop of knowledge. There will always be more to learn and different techniques to practice for different contexts. It is even important one experiment in their practice to see if there are any new techniques one might discover that are even more effective.
A PM role is not perfectly defined, and that is the best way to define it.
Questions:
1. Related to ~ PMs do not have much influence over how their organization thinks about product development more broadly – even c suite product leaders. “Hand-wringing about how your organization ‘doesn’t do product right’ is more often than not a huge waste of time – and a stressful one at that.”
– Who ends up having the most influence? Is it something with so many stakeholders that influence can never truly be held by one person? And is it something that is far too difficult or not worth the time to map out the players with influence in an organization to organize said players for large-scale change in an organization?
2. Related to ~ unhealthy working hours / environment
– What if those unhealthy expectations come from above? Are those unhealthy expectations usually just in the mind of the PM making assumptions? Have you seen cases where the unhealthy expectations were certainly coming from above & how can those expectations best be changed when they come from above?
3. Related to ~ Specialized ADPRs (Growth PM, Technical PM)
– In the few months since publishing have you had any new thoughts or findings on Specialized ADPR roles?
