Defining ‘Product Manager’
“In a sense, product management is best understood not by a single “correct” definition but rather by the very impossibility of such a definition” (LeMay 2022).
It felt that the author was predominantly emphasizing to come to terms with the ambiguity of being a product manager and understanding that all role descriptions are context dependent. The most important message I got from this reading was that a product manager is flexible and adaptable, reflecting the dynamic nature of the role description. Considering that there will be lots of ambiguity, a product manager is ready to learn new things, find and try new approaches, work with a variety of teams and people, and contribute to processes from a technical level all the way to a mental/emotional level. This reading helped me strongly associate the job of a product manager with breadth and responsibility.
People Skills
Additionally, the author also frequently mentions the importance of people skills. Product managers are constantly working with people. Whether that be actually moving a product towards development, handling conflict (between employees or between a employee and a project), or navigating user relations, product managers will always have to take initiative when it comes to being proactive and effective communicators. Not only do they have to consistently practice being a team player, but they also have to ensure that everyone else is doing their best to be a team player as well.
Questions for Matt LeMay
- What were your most transferable people skills? In your various PM roles, which people skills did you find most important, and that you had to keep refining?
- What are some signs that I might fall into an unproductive PM profile? A few personas were described to outline common PM mistakes, such as ‘the Jargon Jockey’ and ‘the Overachiever.’ These were very helpful in understanding applied mistakes! How can I be more proactive in recognizing when these personas are coming up for me and my team?
- What has been the most rewarding part of your roles as a product manager for various organizations? What inspires you to keep pursuing this role?
- How did you manage feeling overwhelmed and/or pressure? iDid you ever dislike being a product manager? The breadth and flexibility required of a PM sounds like high expectations. How do you navigate this?
- What are some tips for best acclimating to a new organization and/or team? Transferability is very important but can be tricky! Your introductory anecdote describing your attempt to prepare for your new role with PM books and vocabulary was very memorable. If those tools didn’t fully prepare you, how would you suggest approaching preparation?
