Product Management Anti-List — What Not to do as a Product Manager

Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash

I have read hundreds (if not thousands) of lists on what to do as a product manager, but I haven’t come across a single anti list — a list of things not to do as a product manager.

So here it is, the first product management anti-list.

21 things that you should NOT do as a product manager:

1. Don’t let Venn diagrams define what you do.
2. Don’t focus on the solution without defining the right problem.
3. Don’t build features because others think they are “urgent” or the “most important.”
4. Don’t hesitate to take the tough decisions because no one else will.
5. Never deflect blame.
6. Don’t say “yes” when you know it should be a “no.”
7. Don’t spend all of your time project managing and firefighting.
8. Don’t forget to nurture relationships.
9. Don’t assume your stakeholders have the same goals as you.
10. Don’t assume your stakeholders speak the same language as you.
11. Don’t assume your manager is always right.
12. Don’t only focus on what to do. Be mindful of also what not to do.
13. Don’t build anything unless you know how it contributes to the larger goals. Don’t be in a situation where you do not know the larger goals.
14. Don’t do tasks that others can do better/faster than you.
15. Don’t be scared to ask for help. Don’t fear escalating when things are not going as per plan.
16. Don’t be ignorant of your weaknesses.
17. Don’t hesitate to change your opinion any time you have more information. But always have valid reasons to support your opinion.
18. Don’t let others abuse your time. Don’t abuse others’ time.
19. Don’t fear ambiguity. At the same time, don’t let ambiguity creep into your communication.
20. Don’t think of ownership as only owning the output. Outcome is what matters.
21. Don’t be intimidated.