Not all Product Managers are created equal (and Thank God for that)
~900 words. 5 min read.
Ah, the mythical perfect product manager: part software engineer, part designer, part data scientist, part therapist. They’ve mastered agile, can quote Steve Jobs in their sleep, and somehow manage to write 12 epics, solve a Jira meltdown, and deliver a killer stakeholder presentation before l(a)unch.
If you read any of Marty Cagan’s books on Product Management, you’re aware of the job requirements.
“Product Management is about insights and judgement, both of which require a sharp mind. Hard work is also necessary, but for this job, it is not sufficient.”
If you feel inadequate now, here’s a bit of good news: The ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Product Manager doesn’t exist, and luckily, they don’t need to. Great product managers know how to use their skills, strengths, expertise, and experience to create immense value for their stakeholders. Some are visionaries, some are strategists, some are process improvement gurus – some are just really, really good at saying ‘it depends’.
For most product managers the role entails juggling a million competing priorities, usually while at least one of them is on fire. Luckily, most of them can be solved using several different approaches, allowing product managers to leverage their individual strengths.
Product Management Dimensions
Consider this Product Management Dimensions Mind Map. There are obviously many ways to skin a cat here, but I have gathered these dimensions over the years as I worked in these capacities myself or observed them in others. I have since used this view to:
reflect on my and my team’s strengths and weaknesses,
gain clarity on what skills I want to recruit for,
conduct a stakeholder audit to see where I need to build strong relationships,
explore new or additional ways of tackling any given challenge,
inform development conversations with individual team members, and occasionally
structure speaking opportunities.
Successful Product Managers can come from all kinds of different backgrounds – engineering, design, marketing, operations. Their unique expertise is what gives them an edge in specific areas. A high-performing product organization doesn’t hinge on the “do-it-all” PM. It thrives on the power of a complimentary team, one that can adapt to the needs of the situation thanks to their diverse talent. Nuance, baby.
How to succeed with your specialties
Leverage your strengths
If you’re strong in design thinking, organize and lead design sprints, and champion the voice of the user in every conversation. If you excel in analytics, lead with data and help shape data-driven processes and strategies.
Collaborate strategically
Identify gaps in your skillset and partner with team members who excel in those areas. Also, play with an open hand! People love being asked to contribute their unique expertise. Offer yours in return. Boom! Relationship built.
Never stop learning
I may be biased because I am addicted to continued education (and ‘Lerner’ is my #3 strength according to Clifton), but I find the best PMs to be perpetual learners. Build foundational knowledge outside of your expertise. Aim for versatility, not mastery in those areas.
Align to the Product’s needs
You’re not a ‘one-size-fits-all’, and neither is your product. Consider its maturity stage, market demands, user experience, and organizational goals. Where do your strengths come to bear, where do you need to activate your strategic relationships?
Being a great PM isn’t about checking every box on the skills checklist. It’s about driving outcomes, building great products, and empowering your team. Good product organizations leaders will value your unique contribution, they’ll crave it even.
Appendix: PM Archetypes
The Techie
Some PMs can talk API endpoints with engineers like they’re discussing last night’s game. This one knows every line of code (and maybe even wrote some of it in their spare time). Can they explain everything to the layperson? Maybe.
Pro: Developers and architects love them.
Con: Their customers have no idea what they’re talking about.
The Visionary
This PM sees 10 years into the future. They paint inspirational pictures of the future-state but might struggle to break that down into executable strategy – or how to prioritize next week’s tickets.
Pro: Steve Jobs vibes.
Con: You might accidentally ship product in 2035.
Analytics Buff
Data-driven decision-making is great… until your realize most of your data is an outdated spreadsheet from marketing titled “Q3_Traffic_Final_FINAL(2).xlsx”. Fear not, you have a data whisperer, who lives in spreadsheets and PowerBI dashboards. They will help you find signal in the noise.
Pro: Data-backed decision for days.
Con: Stakeholders glaze over by slide 73 of their presentation. (It’s like when Gilfoyle presents the history of cryptocurrency to Richard Hendricks).
The Agilist
Evangelizes process maturity and holds the team to higher standards. Spreads the iterative learning mindset, promotes sustainable velocity, and finds pivotal process data to report on.
Pro: If you need a good process, they’ll help you implement it.
Con: Sometimes ‘agile’ just means saying ‘pivot’ a lot and hoping for the best.
The People PM
Lives by the mantra that ‘Selling is Human’. Adored by stakeholders; customers rave about their empathy. Unfortunately, they think ‘tech debt’ is a credit card feature.
Pro: Amazing at building consensus.
Con: Might green-light a feature that breaks the entire system.
