Product Manager personalities (a parody)
I recently had the privilege of teaching a course on Product Management at General Assembly. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience and it allowed me to scratch an itch that I have had for a long time — the desire to teach. One of the fascinating things about teaching is that it helps you clarify your own thinking, and the students, who approach the subject with fresh perspectives, often ask thought-provoking questions.
One of the questions that I received was “What does it take to be a great Product Manager, not just a regular or good one?”
Reflecting on this, I realised that there is no single, definitive answer to this. Different people approach Product Management in different ways. However, the question got me thinking about the various types of Product Managers that you may encounter in the corporate world.
Here is a lighthearted breakdown of some of the types of Product Managers you may encounter in the corporate world. Note that the stereotypes here are intentionally exaggerated for the sake of humor and are not intended to offend anyone. It is not entirely coincidental that we have all been each of these types of Product Managers at some point in our careers. Most PMs I reckon are a combination of 2 or 3 of these.
The Executor
This person is very meticulous about all action items and next steps. They make sure every meeting ends with clear next steps and timelines, and follow up on every action item. They can give everyone else, especially the program manager, an inferiority complex without meaning to. They are very dependable and give everyone the confidence that things are under control and on track when they are around. They are generally pleasant to work with, as long as there are clear next steps and timelines.
Achilles’ heel: they prioritize action over strategy, and may end up working hard and meticulously on a project that is not strategically aligned with the company’s priorities and is soon deprioritized. They can sometimes be a pain in the ass, treating every action item the same without a sense of priority.
The Presenter
This person is extremely effective in delivering where it matters — the boardroom. They can magically secure more resources for the project and get the whole team promoted, even if the project goes bust. They have charm and suave that makes you want to be in their presence.
Achilles’ heel: they may be drinking their own Kool-Aid — believing their own rhetoric and losing their reality filter. After all, if you have to deliver a convincing presentation, you really have to be convinced of what you are presenting.
The Networker
This person is the glue that holds the team together, and takes the extra effort to make people feel included and connected. They volunteer to organize team events and catch up with people over breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee, dinner, and drinks. They are obviously very pleasant to work with, and people love and feel safe being in their team.
Achilles’ heel: they often make decisions by consensus, which can lead to the least offensive option for anyone rather than the best option for many.
The Visionary
This person thinks strategically and creatively, far into the future. They take unique perspectives boldly and take personal risks. As a result, they have the personal credibility to be taken seriously. If things go their way, the team may end up doing some of the best work of their lives.
Achilles’ heel: they can be a pain to work with because they are so opinionated. They may have a difficult time letting go of their thought process, and may not be very motivated to work on smaller, incremental ideas.
The Domain Expert
This person has extensive knowledge about the product from a holistic lens, including tech, business, engineering, and customer experience. They provide incredible value to the team by being able to quickly identify why some ideas won’t work, without the team having to spend months on them. They freely share their knowledge with other team members.
Achilles’ heel: they can become more conservative and may have difficulty getting excited about many new ideas because they have seen it all and see complications that others don’t. As a result, they may miss out on the black-swan ideas that seemed improbable but ended up being huge successes.
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Earlier in my career, I only valued certain Product Manager stereotypes and looked down upon the rest. But with time and experience, I have come to see the value that each type brings to a company. You need the Networker to create the social glue that keeps teams motivated and maintains a positive team culture. You need the Visionary to take bold bets and take the company in directions that it wouldn’t have thought of on its own. You need the Domain Expert to tell you how to get there, the Executor to actually get it done, and the Presenter to ensure that the team gets the necessary resources and recognition. A perfect Product Manager would package all of these qualities together, but thankfully, division of labor is a thing.
So, coming back to the original question: “What does it take to be a great Product Manager, not just a regular or good one?” Here’s my recommendation:
- Execute something first — Like swimming, actual learning can only be by doing
- Develop strong product fundamentals — A topic for another post maybe
- Find out what your personal special sauce is — As we see above, different people can do it in different ways. You don’t even need to follow the exaggerated stereotypes above; be your own thing.
Wouldn’t this advice be true for any field, not just Product Management?
What are some other Product Manager personalities you would like to highlight?
Credits: This post was edited by ChatGPT
