Product Management Skills

This reminds me of an interview question I got a very long time ago: "Is it better to have a bad team or a bad manager". In both cases, you'd rather not find yourself in either extreme. In both cases,

There are a couple of things that make some candidates stand out from the rest: User-focused: The most successful product managers are those that think deeply about people and want to understand them

- Soft skills such as communication, teamwork, adaptability, and a willingness to learn are also important for any product organization. - Work with Engineering on a day to day basis to help build a p

My personal take is that when I am speaking with strong product candidates, I can see a few qualities shine through in their story. For me, those are:  1. They are constant Learners/curious They are c

For me the biggest differentiator is having a growth mindset. This doesn't just mean they want to make an impact and improve as a PM. For me it comes down to three things: They have a sense of what t

They teach you something in the interview I once interviewed a woman who had extensive experience working for a telecommunications company. I have zero experience in telco – aside from being a custo

A few things: A very deep understanding of the problems they are looking to solve. This gets reflected in how they speak about past experiences (why did you choose to work on a specific problem, what

I'll speak to commonalities in IC PMs since I have less experience hiring other product leaders. It's really just 4 things in my view: A clear ability to break down complex, multi-faceted problems in

Best product management candidates craft compelling, concise and inspirational narratives when they interview. They demonstrate clarity of thinking, knowing both the facts and the "why" behind their a

The best Product managers combine curiosity with structured problem solving skills. Being curious helps them look at problems as opportunities to learn & grow. Ability to frame & structure a p

The best PM's have: - Strong leadership and communication skills. To be able to talk to customers, stakeholders, and leadership with the right context. They are good at leading teams with ambiguous pr

Ability to communicate well - Someone told me early in my career: The single most important PM skill he looks for when hiring a PM is communication. Communication is really a proxy for building trust

My top soft skills: Storytelling: As PMs, we must communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely to a range of stakeholders, including developers, designers, executives, and customers. Personally, I

I’m assuming the question is about setting a ‘team’ vision/mission and one doesn’t exist yet. The mission statement is the “What” and the vision statement is an ambitious future state of what the worl

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 f

I like to start by understanding the historical context and how teams arrived at where they are. What decisions were made and why. What worked well and what didn't go according to the plan. Starting

It likely depends on the type of role you are entering into, the focus and phase of the product. It also will likely depend on whether the company has invested a lot in building out an existing UX tea

I'm actually curious if this is widespread, as I've not seen in current or previous Product roles analytical skills being considered more valuable than UX...  While analytical skills are important fo

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

Usually, tech companies organize their teams so that there is a fully dedicated UX designer accompanying each PM. I can't say the same about data teams.  Almost in every company, PMs own KPIs for the

I am very much a systems thinker and like to understand the whole. I started my product career focusing on product management but quickly was exposed to the different facets of product management incl

The two disciplines are very different, despite some intersections on go-to-market, outbound communications, and occasional blurred lines between the roles in some companies regarding strategy and cus

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 sponsor my visa. After changing fo

1. Understand what about product management is interesting to you 2. Research roles and opportunities that speak to what you find interesting 3. Identify the gaps in your skills or experience  4. Fill

[If available] Intern as a PM before applying for a full-time position would put you ahead of other candidates. Read Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell and practice, practice, pract

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 style. How do you communicate? H

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

This is a challenging one, as people's problems could be mentally draining and less exciting to deal with.  Tactically, I'd advise speaking with your HR business partner and seeking their advice by s

I personally have been teaching at The Product School and have seen benefits/value from those coming out of the course. It is really going to come down to your own learning style however. You could al

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 As for the courses, I hear g