Sharebird
MentorsAbout Us
Sign Up / Sign In
Ask me anything
AMA Page
Tara Wellington

AMA: BILL Senior Director of Product Management, Tara Wellington on Product Management Skills

December 19 @ 10:00AM PST
View AMA Answers
BILL Senior Director of Product Management, Tara Wellington on Product Management Skills
Top Questions
When joining a new team as a product manager, is it better to have the right soft skills and have to learn the hard skills of the job? Or vice versa?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
If you had to only have one, I think it is easier to have soft skills and then learn the hard skills. I have done a lot of hiring for product managers both out of college and out of customer service who did not have any hard product skills. What they did have was: * Empathy * Customer focus ......Read More
404 Views
1 request
What hard skills are must haves to be a Product Management leader? What are nice to haves?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
Product leadership is a delicate mix between hard and soft skills - and soft skills are required in any leadership position. Hard Skills: The further you move up the management chain in product, the more the hard skills move from being just product management skills to more general management......Read More
435 Views
1 request
There is often a huge emphasis on analytical skills, instead of UX skills, when it comes to product management job descriptions. What role does UX play in product management?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
The role that UX plays in product management can vary depending on what type of PM role you are in. If you are working on a platform team building ML models or a growth team dedicated to pricing, the role of UX may not be as prominent as it would be if you are on a feature or workflow team. Howev......Read More
434 Views
1 request
What are the most important product management skills or perspectives that others inside an organization could benefit from that would improve their day to day?
Running a "Think Like a Product Manager" course next month and would love to hear others'
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
There are 3 main skills that product managers are known for that I think ALL members of an organization can benefit from: * Customer empathy * Communication * Collaboration Customer Empathy: While this is a key skill all product managers should have - it is something that EVERYONE in the......Read More
439 Views
1 request
What is the most underrated soft skill of a high performing PM?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
Storytelling. Communication is a prerequisite for any PM, but storytelling is communication with impact at its core. When you move from just communication into storytelling, you move from sharing information to inspiring, motivating, influencing, and activating your audience. For PMs, they ......Read More
434 Views
1 request
How do you retain good talent, especially when PM roles are in such high demand across the industry?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
Retaining good talent can be hard - especially when your budget is tight and competitors are able to offer your PMs more money and new experiences where they can learn. In order to retain good talent there are 3 key steps you need to take for EVERY employee on your team. * Step 1: Understand ......Read More
387 Views
1 request
What are the most important soft and hard skills PMs can build to become successful in their field going forward?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
Product management skills are a little tough to nail down, because unlike engineering or design, there is not one set of skills that work for all product managers. Product management needs can be different by industry, company, organization, teams, etc. However, there are 5 key skill categories t......Read More
426 Views
1 request
What is your process of setting a vision when you join a new company?
Tara Wellington
Tara Wellington
BILL Senior Director of Product Management • December 19
The process that I go through when setting a vision when I join a new company is: * Listen & Learn * Research & Optionality * Draft & Edit * Share Listen & Learn It is very hard to write a product vision with no context. When I start at a new company, I try not to make any decisions f......Read More
456 Views
1 request