Do you tick these boxes? A product leader checklist
During my years as a product developer I’ve worked with good product people, and great product people. And a few who probably wanted to or should have been doing other jobs.
This week, we’re saying goodbye in the team to an excellent product manager. When she joined us a year ago, she didn’t have any experience in product management. But it didn’t matter. To be honest I don’t know many PMs who did when they started. It’s not something you learn in school. There’s no agreed rulebook for product management. There’s no Stackoverflow you can ask to get a definitive answer to most product management puzzles.
Product management isn’t about skills, but traits. Mostly.
The best product people I’ve worked with have tended to exhibit similar traits. I’ve turned those traits into a checklist below. I review them from time to time. I try to live up to them. But some of them don’t come naturally; they need practice, and fairly constant attention.
◻ My work doesn’t define me, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
◻ I am a digital native, but have empathy and a respect for those who aren’t.
◻ Talking to people about what bothers them gives me a little thrill. Like how a detective might feel tracking down a fugitive.
◻ I appreciate there’s a gap between what people say they need, and what they’re trying to achieve.
◻ I can tell you about something complex without boring you to tears. Or assuming you’re in nappies.
◻ The product I make helps people. Here’s who and how…
◻ It doesn’t phase me when everyone turns to me for answers.
◻ I’ve averted disaster on a project because I’ve stood up and made a bold decision.
◻ My friends would describe me as insatiably curious, and a fast learner.
◻ I have taught myself a programming language or two. (OK to substitute “I taught myself [some challenging skill]”).
◻ I have a backlog of side projects that are going to change the world, and I’m actively working on at least one.
◻ I trust data. But I trust myself to interpret it well.
◻ I don’t believe in requirements. (This one’s probably the most controversial.)
◻ And finally… Checklists won’t teach me how to be a great product manager. ;)
How many do you recognise in yourself if you’re “in the business”? How many do you recognise in others? What would you add to this list? What do you disagree with completely?
