Having been a product manager for a few years now and loving what I do, one thing I can say about product managers
1. They are incredibly passionate and love what they do
2. They value their independence of thought
3. They love working with multiple teams and the complexity that involves
1. They are incredibly passionate and love what they do
2. They value their independence of thought
3. They love working with multiple teams and the complexity that involves
Many organisations are attempting to get better at building products by hiring smart people with the above attributes and hoping they can rollout the next blockbuster product. But many companies make one fatal mistake. They typically make the product person report to a non-product person; either it could be someone from sales or some senior management from technology. Under such a reporting structure, the persons they are reporting to is used to a "I direct you do" kind of working relationship. But this does not work when you want to build a product. A product manager who seeks to represent the voice of the customer cannot be told what his tasks are and be asked to simply execute them. That is a sure fire way to kill any creativity and the very purpose for which he was hired. Ideally if you are making a huge investment in product managers, ensure that they report to a product VP or a senior person who has had significant experience building products. For product managers to move to the next level, proper mentorship is key.
Keep the following points in mind to get the best out of your product people.
1. Set them KPIs they should achieve and will be held responsible for. Specify the time duration by when results will be expected.
2. Do not tell them what to do or how to do it. Give them feedback at a appropriate time.
3. A product manager is not a project manager or a operations manager.
4. He should have 30% of his time to go out, talk to customers and think about creative solutions.
5. In the online world, product management is about rapid experimentation and learning from mistakes. Hold back from saying "I told you so". That is the easiest thing in the world
- Aditya Raghav
Keep the following points in mind to get the best out of your product people.
1. Set them KPIs they should achieve and will be held responsible for. Specify the time duration by when results will be expected.
2. Do not tell them what to do or how to do it. Give them feedback at a appropriate time.
3. A product manager is not a project manager or a operations manager.
4. He should have 30% of his time to go out, talk to customers and think about creative solutions.
5. In the online world, product management is about rapid experimentation and learning from mistakes. Hold back from saying "I told you so". That is the easiest thing in the world
- Aditya Raghav
