10 Things I wish I knew while starting as a Product Manager

Embarking on a career as a product manager is an exciting journey filled with endless possibilities and new opportunities

However, as you navigate through the dynamic and unpredictable world of product management, there are certain lessons that can help you not only to thrive but also excel in this role.

As I embarked on my journey as a Product Manager, I was brimming with questions, curiosity, and a handful of misconceptions. Influencers often portray this role as glamorous, but the reality I discovered was quite different.

Being a Product Manager can be aptly described as a journey of learning through trial and tribulation, akin to walking through fire.

However, my aim is to share these insights so that aspiring Product Managers can be better prepared for the challenges ahead.

This article is a compilation of the ten things I wish I could have told my past self before stepping into the role, in the hope that it would have eased my transition and set clearer expectations for what lay ahead.

Here are ten essential insights that I wish I had known before stepping into the shoes of a product manager:

Calmness is the Key to Everything:

In the fast-paced world of product management, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by deadlines, stakeholder demands, and unexpected challenges.

Maintaining a calm and composed demeanour is crucial. When you stay calm, you make better decisions and inspire confidence in your team.

For example, imagine your product is facing a critical issue just before a major release. Instead of panicking, a calm product manager will assess the situation, mobilize resources, and work with the team to find a solution.

Interesting fact: When training an Astronaut the most important quality looked for trained is calmness. When you are in space and no one to help. Its just you who have to figure things out.

Communication is as Critical as Creativity:

While creativity is vital for ideation, effective communication is equally essential.

As a product manager, you’ll need to convey your ideas clearly to diverse teams, including developers, designers, sales and marketing.

Consider a scenario where you’ve envisioned an innovative feature for your product. If you can’t articulate its value and functionality effectively, your team may struggle to bring it to life.

You Are Not the CEO of Anything:

Product managers are often referred to as “mini-CEOs” of their products, but this title can be misleading.

You don’t have absolute authority over everything. Instead, you act as a facilitator, aligning the efforts of various teams towards a common goal.

Your role is to empower your team members and ensure they have what they need to succeed.

Prioritizing is Key:

One of the most challenging tasks as a product manager is deciding what to prioritize.

With limited resources and countless demands, you must prioritise features and projects that deliver the most value.

Use techniques like the MoSCoW method (Must-have, Should-have, Could-have, Won’t-have) to make informed decisions about what to work on first.

Or you can use RICE framework, which is my goto technique while deciding on what to priortise and when.

Great Things Take Time:

Building remarkable products doesn’t happen overnight.

Patience is a virtue in product management.

It’s essential to set realistic expectations, understand that perfection isn’t always attainable, and be prepared for iterations and refinements.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are groundbreaking products.

Structure Your Thoughts and Ideas:

Clear thinking is the foundation of effective communication. Structure your thoughts and ideas logically to ensure they are easily understood by your team and stakeholders.

This will help you in creating product requirements documents, user stories, and roadmaps that provide a structured framework for executing your vision.

Structure thinking is also one of the most valueable skill for a PM. And when hiring PMs Hiring managers often look for PMs who structure their thinking process.

Build Small, Ship Small:

The “MVP” or Minimum Viable Product concept is your friend. Start small and build incrementally.

Don’t aim for a feature-packed, perfect product from the beginning.

By shipping smaller iterations, you can gather feedback, learn, and adapt to user needs more effectively.

I would always go for speed if asked to choose between Speed and quality. Speed helps you to reach your users faster. Then the quality can be improved based on feedback.

Ask for Help — People are More Helpful Than You Think:

Product management is a collaborative role. Don’t be afraid to seek help and guidance from colleagues, mentors, or industry peers.

Whether you’re facing a challenging decision or need advice on a particular aspect of your product, there’s a wealth of knowledge and support available within your network.

Reach out to Engineers in your team. Ask for their advice while brainstorming. You will be shocked to see how much they can be insightful.

Engineers have often helped in finding Root cause analysis and also helped with ideas that would make the product better.

No PM Knows Everything:

Accept that you won’t have all the answers.

Embrace a growth mindset and continually learn from your experiences, successes, and failures.

The best product managers are lifelong learners who adapt and evolve with the ever-changing landscape of technology and user preferences.

With the advent of AI use it to delegate few tasks and use it as a friend. The future being more Product managers being AI oriented and leveraging it to become better in their art.

New Day, New Problem:

Product management is full of surprises. Each day brings new challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties.

Embrace the variability of the role and stay adaptable. Your ability to tackle unforeseen problems will set you apart as a resilient and effective product manager.

Starting your journey as a product manager is a rewarding and dynamic endeavour.

Embrace these ten essential lessons, and you’ll be better equipped to navigate the complexities of the role and steer your product towards success.

Remember, product management is a continuous learning process, and the insights you gain along the way will further enrich your career and help you achieve your goals.