I’m not a Technical Product Manager.
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Five years ago, I gave a talk at The Product School about being a non-technical Product Manager. It was one of a handful of talks I gave, but, it is by far, my most popular talk. Over the years, the video has gained comments but most strikingly, I get contacted regularly from strangers about how the talk resonates with them. It’s an entry point for many folks trying to learn about product management and it leads to so many other questions about my career and about product management in general.
And so, over the years, I’ve replied to LinkedIn messages, Instagram DMs and cold emails to connect with future and current Product Managers on what it means to succeed as a non-technical PM. I find myself doling out a lot of helpful tips I learned, not from a formal education in product management, but from my direct experience, on the front lines. And I found that a lot of this advice could be helpful to more than just the few brave souls who reach out to me online.
What I said five years ago, and what I’m saying today in 1:1 conversations resonates with people. Naturally, like a Product Manager, I’m thinking about how to make this experience more effective and scalable. And the simplest way to do that might be to write this all down. Not only because I love a good blog and newsletter (I’ve created both of these in the past). But, because I think my 10+ years of experience could offer people a real perspective on what it’s like to be a Product Manager, today.
And so, here we are. Years after I retired my acclaimed travel blog (To F’Italy and Beyond) and sold my beloved weekly newsletter (The Lunch Read), I find myself writing again.
I’ll use this space to discuss the musings of my professional path: life and learnings of a real product manager who is not technical and who most certainly doesn’t have all the answers. I’ve got a lot to share that could be useful in your current or future journey in Product Management or tech. Notably, a lot of the focus here will be on the role of a Product Manager, but, I hope a lot will be applicable to more than just the Product Manager role. I’ll start with the top questions I get asked but I’ll share other thoughts too.
I’m not entirely sure what this will become but at a minimum, I hope it helps a few of you out there looking to gain confidence to become a Product Manager.
Hey — I’m now on Substack. Subscribe to get the latest from me here.
