AMA: Momentive (SurveyMonkey) Vice President Product Management, Aleks Bass on Product Management Skills

There are very few hills from a professional perspective that I would be willing to die on, but this is definitely one of them. I absolutely believe that fully remote product teams can work in the long term. I currently lead a fully remote team and I've seen some of the best product management work of my career being produced by this team.  The challenges I've seen with remote work for product management have been when the structures of the team are not consistent (i.e. some people work in an of ...Read More

Every new job I've taken has had a pretty specific challenge I was hired to solve, and I was fortunate to have that clarity (at least at a high level).  When I start in the new role, I focus on the following elements: Build relationships with my team and cross-functional partners Learn about the industry Study competitors Explore the product in detail Collect as much customer feedback and usage data as I can get my hands on And last but not least, find all the skeletons (or as many as I can).- W ...Read More

Data should be used to inform product management decisions rather than drive them. A product manager should lead with intuition and use data to support their assumptions. Data should be used to inform decisions, but it should not be the only factor in making decisions. It is important for product managers to use their experience to make informed decisions, and then to use data to validate those decisions.  Data can provide insight into: customer needs market trends and product performance  It ca ...Read More

The most underrated soft skill of a high-performing PM is the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with stakeholders. This includes the following: Ability to listen to and understand the needs of stakeholders Ability to effectively negotiate and resolve conflicts The reason these skills seem to be the most elusive is most likely because of the confirmation bias that permeates us as humans. Once we've invested a significant amount of time into an idea or a point of view, we assume t ...Read More

The awareness and impact UX plays on the success of a product is probably the most underrated and underdeveloped skill set in the product management function today. UX plays a critical role in product management. It helps product managers understand the needs of their users and how to design a product that meets those needs.  UX also helps product managers understand how to create a product that is intuitive, attractive, engaging, easy to use, and accessible to all users. A product manager that ...Read More

This is a fascinating one to investigate! The first thing I can say is that I understand your plight since I've been there before (probably on both sides) and I know it's not an enjoyable or enriching place to be. In spite of this, receiving feedback from team members, cross-functional partners, and leaders is inevitable. When you change your perception of feedback and how you use it, it can become your superpower. If someone has positive intentions, they are giving you a gift by giving you feed ...Read More