Product Management Skills
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 3y
This might not be the answer you'd expected ;)
I'm a first-generation immigrant, and I didn't really have a choice early in my career. I simply needed a company to spon...
394 Views
Scribe VP of Product | Formerly LaunchDarkly, New Relic • 1y
Managing products in a new space provides the perfect balance of applying existing expertise you have about your craft (product management, in this case) and acquiring a ...
3195 Views
BILL VP of Product, Product Platform • 2y
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...
706 Views
Lead Product Manager and GTM Specialist | Formerly Mailchimp - Caspian - Zeda.io • 1y
If I were to narrow it down even though its not necessary to learn much technicality, Id focus on: data analytics and interpretation - because good PMs mix qualitative wi...
185 Views
Shop Ware Head of Product | Formerly Evernote, SAP SuccessFactors, RingCentral • 2y
Having made the transition and reflecting on my experience going through the ranks of a product manager, I would say there are 2 key skills you need to have and really en...
198 Views
HubSpot Group Product Manager, CRM Platform • 1mo
If you’re starting as a generalist PM, broaden your technical toolkit by combining hands on exposure with targeted learning. Partner closely with an engineer to break pro...
402 Views
What are the required hard skills for a product manager?
Also is it a plus for a product manager to know how to read code?
Shopify VP of Product • 4y
Answered another question about hard skills. I don't think its generally necessary for PMs to read code but I do think it is important for you to understand the concept/p...
1796 Views
HubSpot Group Product Manager, CRM Platform • 1mo
Use this time to actively build, because that’s what will make you stand out in a crowded market. Pick a few real problems and ship lightweight products using AI tools li...
444 Views
HubSpot Group Product Manager, CRM Platform • 1mo
Start with problems, not ideas. Anchor on a clear user segment and job to be done, then validate pain through 8 to 12 structured interviews focused on past behavior, not ...
680 Views
Salesforce Senior Director of Product Management • 2mo
The products I admire most are the ones that don't just solve a problem — they fundamentally redefine how you work and make you question why you ever did it the old way. ...
694 Views
Lead Product Manager and GTM Specialist | Formerly Mailchimp - Caspian - Zeda.io • 1y
Right off the bat, the very first thing here to do would be a deep dive into market trends, competitive landscape, and internal data. You need a holistic view of where th...
169 Views
Gainsight Director, Product Management • 2y
Apart from being a good product managers, natural propensity to build epic stuff, passion for impact, data-driven, ability to execute , great collaborator and communicato...
776 Views
What would be your advice or go to resources for a PM to build one critical thinking skills?
What would be your advice or go-to resources for a PM to build critical thinking skills?
Former BILL Director, Product Management - Payments • 1y
One can build critical thinking on the job by analyzing data, balancing customer and business needs, and seeking feedback on your work. You should also complement this wi...
2145 Views
BILL VP of Product, Product Platform • 2y
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. I...
671 Views
Atlassian Director of Product • 10mo
Deep enterprise SaaS experience, especially working directly with large, complex customers.Relentless customer focus: comfortable engaging with C-level execs, landing dea...
2962 Views
JetBrains Head of Product | Formerly GitLab, Jit.io, Cellebrite, Anima • 2y
While intuition serves as a valuable starting point for Product Managers, particularly those well-versed in their field, market dynamics, and customer preferences, relyin...
482 Views
Semarchy Chief Product Officer | Formerly Flexera, Snow Software, SolarWinds, AT&T, Microsoft • 1y
This can be a challenging situation, which may have come about for several reasons such as where the organization may not value or understand the role of product manageme...
686 Views
BILL Director, Product Management (Data, AI, DevEx, Identity) | Formerly Twitter/X • 1y
Identify and decide on what kind of PM role you want to get into - Growth PM, Platform PM, Domain specific PM..Understand the details and day to day of a PM role and get ...
599 Views
Semarchy Chief Product Officer | Formerly Flexera, Snow Software, SolarWinds, AT&T, Microsoft • 1y
It's crucial to ensure you’ve identified and engaged with stakeholders (including your own engineering team) correctly, to mitigate the risk of damaging relationships. He...
444 Views
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 3y
Being a team player and sharing team responsibilities e.g. sharing scrum ceremonies with your EM, will help you be equal partners.
Don't forget that while you're doing ...
1082 Views
How do product management skills change as you get more senior in the role?
I'm a technical product manager now and I find that the execution piece of my previous roles is not as desired in my current role and I am trying to balance what I deem as PM fundamentals with what my new role expectations should be.
Ignition SVP, Product | Formerly Cornerstone OnDemand, Groundswell, Skilljar, Gainsight • 1y
A year ago, I would have said that the more senior you get, the less execution-oriented you will get and more problem/opportunity-oriented focus. It will become expectati...
983 Views
Shopify VP of Product • 4y
It's hard for me to think anyone is 'doomed' per se but I would make this a focus area if you are truly trying to get into product management. Making smart decisions quic...
1449 Views
Google Product Lead - Google Cloud • 1y
I currently work in the intersection of enterprise security & AI and it is incredible to see the use cases that have emerged for AI in this space. User research: As I...
1428 Views
Shopify VP of Product • 4y
To be a strong product manager, you will have to learn to balance your art in the science. That is your hard and soft skills. When you are new to a team, naturally you w...
1239 Views
Shopify VP of Product • 4y
I personally believe this to be communication. Often times, we as PMs dive heads down into a problem with understanding that we need to have a time with us to do the work...
1328 Views
Shopify VP of Product • 4y
I like to look at feedback as a gift and approach it with an open mind. How I would approach this is:
1. Do some soul searching :) understanding your own communication st...
1193 Views
BILL VP of Product, Product Platform • 2y
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 mana...
1250 Views
Switching back to product management
For someone who used to work in product management but switched to product marketing for the last 8 years, why is it so difficult to get back into product management at Cisco?
Ignition SVP, Product | Formerly Cornerstone OnDemand, Groundswell, Skilljar, Gainsight • 1y
While I am not familiar with Cisco in particular, I would say that my biggest concern as a hiring manager for someone that hasn't recently worked in the Product Managemen...
1656 Views
Google Product Lead - Google Cloud • 1y
Love this question. User research is critical to incorporate throughout the funnel journey for a PM - from awareness, to consideration, to decision. Awareness: During thi...
1383 Views
Google Product Lead - Google Cloud • 1y
Great question. In my personal career journey as well as several hires I’ve made I’ve always found it helpful to try the new role before you go all in. When I was at a st...
1210 Views
Google Product Lead - Google Cloud • 1y
Bring structured thinking to your communication and approach: Become effective at breaking down problems using structured thinking. For Behavioral questions, look into th...
5529 Views
Gainsight Director, Product Management • 2y
Problem solving capability, Communication skills, Empathy - User and Product, Learning curiosity, Passion to impact and comfortable with failure are some soft skills we e...
432 Views
Hex Head of Product | Formerly Fivetran • 1y
This isn't easy and many companies, including Hex, are looking for domain expertise to maintain a super high velocity in driving value for users. Learning a domain takes ...
1320 Views
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'
BILL VP of Product, Product Platform • 2y
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
...
720 Views
Hex Head of Product | Formerly Fivetran • 1y
Every product leader is different but I'd say there are generally two primary flavors: 1) amazing executors who work with strong visionaries or 2) strong visionaries who ...
481 Views
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 3y
I usually recommend starting with the following books:
Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell
On Design Thinking by Tim Brown
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries...
613 Views
Semarchy Chief Product Officer | Formerly Flexera, Snow Software, SolarWinds, AT&T, Microsoft • 1y
Firstly, thank you for your question, and it’s one that I believe any aspiring or seasoned product manager should be asking. The fact is that regardless of your domain, ...
3226 Views
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 4y
There are different paths that each product manager takes, but the common ones I've seen are:
1. Joining a tech company as an Associate PM or an intern straight from coll...
3592 Views
Nextiva Head of Product, Developer Ecosystem | Formerly VP Product at Localytics, Crayon, Redox, CoreStory • 1y
I've been working at fully (or practically) remote companies for ~5 years now and I believe they can certainly work. Tools like Zoom, Slack, and Miro can (mostly) handle ...
3785 Views
What framework has worked for you to help you structure your thought process
What would be your advice or go-to resources for a PM to build critical thinking skills?
Bluevine Senior Director of Product Management | Formerly Xero, Practice Fusion • 1y
I use a simple framework for critical thinking and problem-solving:Define the problem: Break it down into a clear need statement. Understand dependencies, time sensitivit...
4539 Views
Cortex VP of Product | Formerly Splunk, Deloitte • 1y
The best product management candidates indicate that they fully understand what the role requires by asking questions that get to a level deeper into what the role descri...
814 Views
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 3y
My top soft skills:
Storytelling: As PMs, we must communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely to a range of stakeholders, including developers, designers, executives...
1188 Views
Google Product Lead - Google Cloud • 1y
Develop a product mindset: For early career PMs from a skillset perspective, choose whether consumer, enterprise, or developer products appeal to you the most. Do a side ...
4084 Views
Typeform Chief Product Officer • 3y
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 pl...
660 Views
How have you dealt with possible overlaps between Product Managers, Business Owners and Marketing?
I was just reading an article by Marty Cagan about the scenario of Business Owners "versus" Product Managers, especially for companies using a matrix organization. Now, I'm living in a similar situation, and not only in the case of Business Owners, but it seems that depending on the side of the organization, the scope of Product Managers is divided more than expected, causing various types of issues. So, I'm curious if other companies, big or small, have also had to deal with this. Here's the link to the article: https://www.svpg.com/product-managers-vs-business-owners/
OEC Head of Global Product Operations • 2y
Ah yes, I remember this article :) I think the key point Marty makes is "Things go wrong when these two roles are not clearly defined." There are two aspects of "defined...
1044 Views
HubSpot Group Product Manager • 3y
Going from an IC PM to a manager role was one of the most gratifying transitions in my career. Having been a manager before in a different context prior to becoming a Gro...
11060 Views