What Makes a Great Product Manager

I recently interviewed 30 product managers and asked them:

What are the characteristics of the outstanding PMs you’ve worked with?

While the opinions varied, there were several clear themes, which I’ve summarized below. If you’re looking for more information on what it means to be a great product manager, check out my book: Be the Greatest PM Ever.

Key Traits of Outstanding Product Managers

Curiosity

Great product managers are curious about everything. They want to understand the company's products and their users. They ask questions that may seem mundane but are crucial to understanding the product and its use case. They are always looking to learn, to stay up to date with the industry trends, and to explore new opportunities

Technical knowledge

While a product manager may not be an engineer, they should have baseline knowledge of how products are built and their technical requirements. This knowledge enables them to communicate better with the engineering team, to understand the feasibility of the product, and to make informed decisions.

Customer-focused

A great product manager is customer-focused. They prioritize the user experience and the customer's needs over other stakeholders' desires. They ensure that the product is user-friendly, solves the customers' problems, and meets their needs.

Visionary

Great product managers are not just tactical thinkers. They look beyond the present and have a clear vision of where the product is going. They anticipate future needs, understand the market trends, and are always looking for opportunities to leapfrog the competition.

Leadership

Product managers are leaders, and great product managers have the ability to manage superiors, especially at the P&L control level. They know how to communicate the product vision, align stakeholders' expectations, and build consensus around the product roadmap.

Humility

Humility is an essential trait of a great product manager. They are willing to admit their mistakes and seek feedback from others. They are open-minded and always willing to learn from their team, customers, and other stakeholders.

Analytical

Great product managers are analytical. They use data to make informed decisions, measure product success, and identify areas for improvement. They know how to use metrics to track progress and make data-driven decisions.

Process-oriented

A great product manager is a "shade tree mechanic" - able to fix things and improve processes. They know how to optimize workflows, reduce waste, and streamline the product development process. They understand the importance of process and ensure that their team adheres to it.

Mentoring

Great product managers are mentors. They help their team members level up by providing guidance, feedback, and opportunities for growth. They share their knowledge, skills, and experiences and inspire others to be their best.

Conclusion

Great product managers are a rare breed. They possess a unique combination of skills, traits, and experience that enable them to lead their team to success. While the list above is not exhaustive, it provides an excellent starting point for anyone aspiring to be a great product manager or looking to hire one. If you possess some of these traits, continue to develop them, and if you are looking to hire a great product manager, keep these qualities in mind.

Decode and Conquer 4th Edition for Product Management Careers

I’m always thrilled to hear from my readers. This one in particular, has been using Decode and Conquer throughout their product management careers.

Book Summary: Be the Greatest Product Manager Ever

We are thrilled to have a guest post from Pradnya Bhawalkar. Pradnya is a technology CEO who runs her own software consultancy Persevera Systems. Pradnya holds two degrees from Rice University, an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

A Playbook for Navigating a PM Career

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Wherever you are on your career path, Be The Greatest Product Manager Ever provides a clear overview to help you navigate the path from beginning product manager to legendary CEO. 

Packed full of frameworks and life advice, this guide is not just for navigating the interview or the job, but the career and pulls from Lewis’ real-world experience. Below I provided a book summary, with the key takeaways from each chapter. 

Navigate the journey from product manager to CEO by embracing growth. 

Your titles and responsibilities change as you traverse five distinct levels in the PM career path.

1. Product Manager. No complex projects, low visibility

2. Group Product Manager. Managing direct reports, reputation as a skilled communicator

3. Director of Product Manager. More gravitas. You anticipate problems others miss.

4. VP of Product Management. You have mental toughness, the ability to build teams, or both.

5. CEO. You’re the boss until you realize you’re not. You provide moonshot visions that create a revolutionary, new business. 

The ESTEEM™ framework highlights key skills that will serve as your guide.

Here are the six steps of the ESTEEM method:

1. Execution. Deliver results consistently.

2. Superior communication skills. Be able to tell captivating stories. 

3. Tactical awareness. Develop a “sixth sense.” Learn how to work smarter.

4. Extraordinary mental toughness. The ability to lead groundbreaking change and to be ready to try the 1000th time, after failing 999 times.

5. Exceptional team builder. Have an extensive network and love to teach others to do their jobs well. 

6. Moonshot vision. Propose unique, audacious, extraordinary visions, match that to a large, profitable need, and highlight the specific steps to build it now.

Skill 1: Execution

You have to be able to get things done.

1. Start every new job by pausing your ambition (and judgment) for 90 days. Observe, instead of judging. Stay in the present. 

2. Figure out what to do by not overthinking. Ask your boss what you need to work on. 

3. Practice more system 2 (thoughtful) thinking. Increase awareness, evaluate, and resist urgency. Write write write. Do system 1 (reactive) tasks later in the day. 

4. Don’t confuse being busy with initiative. Be more likable through proactive updates. “Do and update.” 

5. Provide visibility. Your boss won’t know until you’ve told them. Always over-communicate rather than not communicating at all. 

6. Don’t multitask. 

7. Follow the chain of command. Don’t go around your boss. They value loyalty. 

Skill 2: Superior Communication Skills

The best communicators use frameworks to share, captivate, and influence effectively.

Situation-Complication-Resolution (SCR). 

Situation. Share an unbiased view of current conditions.

Complication. The twist. What makes the listener think more?

Resolution. Propose a solution.

Steve Jobs’ favorite frameworks. 

Use zippy words like dreamy, revolutionary, unbeatable. 

Rule of Three. Bundles responses in threes. “We have three major product families: the iPad, the iPhone, and the Mac”.

Repeat yourself. 

Be Authoritative like a Professor. Use a whiteboard as often as you can.

Tell Good Stories. Remember the 5 Ws and H — who, when, where, why, how. Follow the Hero’s Journey (hero and villain, characters, dilemma, plot, setting). 

Skill 3: Tactical Awareness

Build awareness to boost performance.

Tactical awareness. Small differences explain peak performance. When most people zig, you zag. 

Individual awareness. Don’t just focus, obsess. Search for personal weaknesses by asking everyone around you — what triggers an emotional reaction? Address your cognitive biases. 

Emotional awareness. Stop ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. 

Interpersonal awareness. Improve your relationships with effective teamwork. Ask “do I communicate in a clear, open, assertive, and straightforward way?”

Skill 4: Extraordinary Mental Toughness

Persevere over trying moments to be exceptional. How:

• Be the last to quit. Many individuals win simply because they’re the only ones left.

• Disagree and then commit. Seek out as many dissenting opinions as possible.

• Tolerate stress. Prepare prepare prepare.

• Watch for errors of omission. Figure out what is left out.

• Apologize sincerely.

• Play or survive in politics.

• Affirm yourself. 

Skill 5: Exceptional Team Builder

Build strong, effective teams quickly.

Hiring. Always ask: Tell me a time when you handled criticism. Conduct structured interviews. Always check references. 

Onboarding. Your new team members will struggle. Expect to move people through the ODRP model: Onboarding, dissatisfaction, resolution, production. “Hire for attitude. Train for skill.” 

Managing. Praise groups in public, but individuals in private. Delegate the right tasks and use recipes. Meetings should be the exception, not the rule. 

Promoting. Promote the internal candidate that’s 60% ready. No hotshot can get things done on his or her own.

Firing. Don’t give up too early. Don’t wait too long. 

Skill 6: Moonshot Vision

A moonshot is an ambitious, groundbreaking vision, such as SpaceX’s enable human life on Mars. How to get there:

Delight the customer. Clarify the goal. Figure what customers want before they do.

Inspiration comes first. Collect good ideas. Be curious anytime, anywhere. Copy thinking, not product. Brainstorm at least 10 solutions. 

Watch your resources. Integrate your efforts across your company. Get into the technical details. Prioritize 40% innovations first.