Striving to be a better Product Manager

Photo by Rashmi Shukla on Unsplash

I finally made a resolve to reinvent myself as the best Product Manager that I can be. During these tough times and with a lot of people out a job, I humbly write this with the two hopes:

1. That it helps those who are looking to make some changes on their path to a Product Management career
2. To set a foundation to share highlights of my exciting (realistically turbulent) journey that is to come in the following weeks.

Now that the resolve has been made, what next? What do I need to do to reinvent myself as the best Product Manager that I can be?

Thinking it over, I created two major goals around things that I wanted to change:

• Improve my knowledge of Product Management (specifically around processes, market research and frameworks)
• Learn how to communicate better as a Product Manager (specifically around selling myself in interviews)

The outcome is that I will feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin taking on the title of being a Product Manager and fight off the Imposter Syndrome that comes with modern Product Management this day and age.

Improving Knowledge of Product Management

In order to improve my knowledge, I took two major steps:

1. Enrolled in a Product School Course (specifically the Product Leader Certification)
2. Enrolled in two Nanodegrees (I know, a bit ambitious) — the Data Product Manager and Product Manager

So far, these have provided external validation of what I already know and are starting to fill in the gaps where I am lacking knowledge. The major benefit is that I have real case studies and practical product ideas that I have been able to pursue without having to dream up new ideas, which can be hard for anyone.

Learning How to Communicate (& Selling Myself) Better

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

In terms of improving how I communicate better as a Product Manager, especially, I took two directions in this as well:

1. I started Lewis C. Lin’s 2 Week Product Management Interview Plan — my specific schedule is here if you’d like to follow along.
2. I also enrolled in TryExponent’s Annual Program to get the inside scoop on interviews.

Though the clear benefit is better interviewing, I was more interested in being able to slow down my thinking, so that I can make sense of what I am trying to say — and so far, so good.

I hope these resources help you as they are aiding me. As I continue through this journey, I’ll reference back to these areas over the coming months to share what I am learning, where I’ve failed and hope that it helps you through your journey as well.