Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager — PM Mental Model #4

Bit of a cheat today, the following is word for word from the famous article from Ben Horowitz, “Good Product Manager Bad Product Manager”. I think you will all agree that despite being written over a quarter of a century ago this seminal article remains a guiding light for product managers and one of the first articles any budding PM should read.

In a world where the pace of change is relentless and the demands of consumers are ever-increasing, the fundamental principles outlined in this article continue to ring true. Whether it’s understanding the nuances of customer needs, maintaining a visionary perspective or fostering effective leadership within cross-functional teams, the essence of a good product manager doesn’t change.

I also find it incredibly insightful to understand what makes a bad product manager, something you rarely read about. We all know them and I have been guilty of one or two of these sins in the past, I would have been very grateful if a mentor had shared the article with me in my early years as a PM, so please share these wise words….Enjoy!!!

Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager by Ben Horowitz

Good product managers know the market, the product, the product line, and the competition extremely well and operate from a strong basis of knowledge and confidence. A good product manager is the CEO of the product. A good product manager takes full responsibility and measures themselves in terms of the product’s success. They are responsible for the right product/ right time and all that entails. A good product manager knows the context (in the company, our revenue funding, competition etc) and it takes responsibility for devising and executing a winning plan (no excuses).

Bad product managers have lots of excuses. Not enough funding, the engineering manager is an idiot, Microsoft has 10 times as many managers working on it, I’m overworked, I don’t get enough direction. Barksdale (I have no idea who Barksdale is) doesn’t make this kind of excuses and neither should the CEO of a product.

Good product managers don’t get all of their time sucked up by the various organizations that must work together to deliver the right product at the right time. They don’t take all the product team minutes, they don’t project manage the various functions, they are not the gophers for engineering. They are not part of the product team; they manage the product team. Engineering teams don’t consider Good Product Managers a “marketing resource”. Good product managers are the marketing counterpart of the engineering manager, Good product managers crisply define the target, the “what” (as opposed to the how) and manage the delivery of the “what.” Bad product managers feel best about themselves when they figure out the “how”. Good product managers communicate crisply to engineering in writing as well as verbally. Good product managers don’t give directions informally. Good product managers gather information informally.

Good product managers create leverageable collateral, FAQ’s, presentations, white papers. Bad product managers complain that they spend all day answering questions for the sales force and are swamped. Good product managers anticipate the serious product flaws and build real solutions. Bad product managers put out fires all day. Good product managers take written positions on important issues (competitive silver bullets, tough architectural choices, tough product decisions, markets to attack or yield). Bad product managers voice their opinion verbally and lament that the “powers that be” won’t let it happen. Once bad product managers fail, they point out that they predicted they would fail.

Good product managers focus the team on revenue and customers. Bad product managers focus team on how many features Microsoft is building. Good product managers define good products that can be executed with strong effort. Bad product managers define good products that can’t be executed or let engineering build whatever they want (i.e. solve the hardest problem).

Good product managers think in terms of delivering superior value to the marketplace during inbound planning and achieving market share and revenue goals during outbound. Bad product managers get very confused about the difference between delivering value, matching competitive features, pricing, and ambiguity. Good product managers decompose problems. Bad product managers combine all problems into one.

Good product managers think about the story they want written by the press. Bad product managers think about covering every feature and being really technically accurate with the press. Good product managers ask the press questions. Bad product managers answer any press questions. Good product managers assume press and analyst people are really smart. Bad product managers assume that the press and analysts are dumb because they don’t understand the difference between “push” and “simulated push”.

Good product managers err on the side of clarity vs. explaining the obvious. Bad product managers never explain the obvious. Good product managers define their job and their success. Bad product managers constantly want to be told what to do.

Good product managers send their status reports in on time every week because they are disciplined. Bad product managers forget to send in their status reports on time, because they don’t value discipline.

After revisiting this article numerous times, I’ve come to see it as a timeless blueprint for aspiring and seasoned product managers alike. It highlights the essential values of customer-centricity, vision, accountability, leadership, data-driven decision-making, and execution orientation — qualities that are indispensable for greatness in the role. Moreover, it serves as a stark reminder of the traits and behaviors that can derail even the most promising careers in product management. By shining a light on the characteristics of a bad product manager — being inward-focused, short-termist, a micro-manager, lacking accountability, and devoid of vision — it prompts us to confront our own shortcomings and strive for continual growth. In my opinion, ‘Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager’ is not just a guide; it’s a manifesto that compels us to reflect on our practices and continually refine our approach, ensuring that we remain steadfast in our pursuit of excellence.

The original article can be found on the venture capital firm Andreessen Horiwitz’s website along with a vast amount of insightful information on many topics.