A successful product manager is someone who understands the needs of the client, is able to lead the team towards a shared vision and goal, and is someone who delivers value to the client.
The role of a product manager is very complex. He has to work with a large number of teams, communicate with clients, learn about his pain points, what alternatives the client can use if not for his product, communicate with partners, tooling teams, engineering teams, sales, UX content, work with tools. The most important thing is that you have to deal with different people with different backgrounds, so it is very important to use different skills to achieve the goals - to inspire the team to realize the vision of the roadmap, to be able to launch, implement and complement.
Research Skills
Communication Skills
Listening Skills
Sales Skills
Analytical Skills
End to End Thinking Skills
Organization Skills
Interpersonal Skills
What is it? Ability to analyze, interpret and evaluate
Why you need it: Helps with comprehension, getting facts and solutions to a problem
Examples of where you will need it:
Finding a PM job
Understanding customers and competitors
Guiding the vision and roadmap of your product
What is it? Ability to articulate effectively using the best communication channel/medium
Why you need it: Helps you work effectively and efficiently
Examples of where you will need it:
Speaking to your customers
Speaking to your stakeholders
Reviewing requirements and getting work done.
What is it? Ability to keep an open mind to accurately receive and understand spoken and unspoken messages
Why you need it: Helps you empathize, build trust
Examples of where you will need it:
To empathize with your customers
To understand what stakeholders and leadership is looking for.
Staying quiet and allow them to speak
Do not interrupt; acknowledge by nodding; summarize; ask questions
Listen without judgement and keep an open mind
What is it? The ability to sell by demonstrating conviction, confidence
Why you need it: To influence teams and to get things done in a manner that moves the business forward
Examples of where you will need it:
Everyday meetings
When you pitch an idea to a customer, investor, leadership
To negotiate a good contract with your partners
What is it? Ability to analyze a problem at hand
Why you need it: To better understand your business metrics, brainstorming, problem solving, for data driven decision making
Examples of where you will need it:
To find areas of optimization
To help prioritize roadmap items
Product monetization and establishing business model
What is it? Ability to step back and take a broader look at what is in hand
Why you need it: To understand how changes in one part of the system can affect another area and thereby know the pros and cons, assess risks
Examples of where you will need it:
Day to day operations and troubleshooting
Providing product requirements
Product launch preparations
What is it? Ability to maximize efficiency by using structure or process in the ways of working
Why you need it: Improves productivity, increases focus and clarity of thought, reduces errors
Examples of where you will need it:
Planning and conducting meetings
Launch planning
What is it? Ability to interact well with others using effective communication skills while demonstrating respect and emotional intelligence
Why you need it: Earn trust, to work effectively
Examples of where you will need it:
Negotiate and arrive at a decision
To get stakeholder alignment
To make work more enjoyable
Separate the person from the problem
Keep an open mind and understand the source of concern
Listen objectively
Show credibility and be poised
Continue to work at it
Try to find common ground
Conscious learning
- Read books
- Listen to Podcasts
- Attend classes
- Learn from mentors and role models
- Be present
Observation
Observe:
- team dynamics during meetings
- body language and non-verbal cues
- Patterns that repeat, for better future preparation
- Meeting structure
- What is productive and what is not
Practice
- Practice your skills everyday!
- Practice to make progress
- Don't strive for perfection
- Ask for feedback and aim to do your work well consistently
One must be conscious, learning to observe and practice.
Suman Seshadri, DocuSign Product Leader