1. Wonder About Everything
For you to truly think like a product manager, you must cultivate an insatiable curiosity that extends to every aspect of your work and life. Wondering about everything means not only asking questions but also actively seeking answers. It involves exploring the “what if” scenarios and looking for opportunities for improvement in unexpected places.
When you wonder about everything, you develop a mindset that constantly seeks out new challenges and innovative solutions. You’ll find yourself questioning existing processes, products, and ideas.
For example, if you’re working on a software product, you might wonder if there’s a better way to streamline the user interface or if a different technology stack could lead to improved performance.
2. Think Deeper
Thinking deeply is about going beyond the surface level of understanding. It means investing the time and effort to gain a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter and to bridge between superficial understanding and profound insight. This often involves delving into data analysis to discern patterns, conducting thorough user research to identify trends, and acquiring a deep understanding of the underlying technologies and systems to ensure optimal product performance.
Thinking deeper empowers product managers to make informed decisions. It enables product managers to uncover opportunities, solve complex problems, and create products that resonate deeply with users.
For instance, if you’re managing a mobile app, thinking deeply might involve analyzing user engagement metrics to identify patterns and opportunities for improvement. It may also require understanding the intricacies of mobile operating systems and how they impact your app’s performance.
3. Think About Incremental Improvement
Incremental improvement is the cornerstone of sustainable progress in the world of product management. Embracing this philosophy, you break down long-term ambitious goals into manageable, bite-sized steps, making progress attainable and risks more controllable.
Incremental improvement encourages continuous learning and adaptation. They iterate on existing features, enhance user experiences, and fine-tune processes, all while minimizing disruptions. This principle embodies the “Kaizen” philosophy, a Japanese term for continuous improvement, and champions the idea that small, consistent steps can lead to significant advancements over time.
For instance, consider a scenario where you’re responsible for a website’s conversion rate. Instead of aiming for an immediate 50% increase in conversions, you may opt for a series of incremental improvements. This might involve optimizing the checkout process, improving website load times, and enhancing the user experience step by step.
4. Ask “Why” and “How”
Asking “Why” and “How” is the compass that guides product managers through the process of decision-making and problem-solving. “Why” delves into the motivations and underlying reasons behind actions, decisions, or challenges. It’s the product management tool for uncovering the root causes, shedding light on the “what” and “who” behind a situation.
On the other hand, “How” ventures into the mechanics, processes, and feasibility of potential solutions. It seeks to understand the steps, resources, and technologies required to address a problem or implement an idea effectively.
For instance, imagine you’re working on a project, and it’s not progressing as expected. Instead of accepting the delays at face value, you ask “Why.” This might lead you to discover that a key team member lacks the necessary resources or that the project scope was poorly defined. By asking “How,” you can then explore various strategies to address these issues and get the project back on track.
5. Have an Opinion
Having an opinion as a product manager is not about being inflexible or dogmatic. Instead, it’s about having a clear vision and direction for your product. Your opinion serves as a valuable compass that guides decision-making and provides a reference point for evaluating ideas and feedback.
Your opinion is rooted in your understanding of the market, user needs, and the product’s long-term goals. It helps you make choices that align with the product’s strategic vision. When you have a strong opinion, it becomes easier to communicate your vision to stakeholders and rally your team behind a common goal.
6. Embrace Conflict
Conflict is an inherent part of any creative and problem-solving process. In the context of product and brand management, conflict often arises when team members have differing opinions, priorities clash, or external pressures exert influence. Rather than fearing or avoiding conflict, product managers embrace it as an opportunity for growth and innovation.
Effective conflict management involves creating a safe space for open and constructive discussions. It encourages team members to voice their concerns, challenge assumptions, and explore alternative viewpoints. When managed well, conflict can lead to better decision-making, more robust solutions, and a stronger team dynamic.
7. Develop Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others. For product managers, developing empathy is not just one of the product management skills but a fundamental mindset. It’s about putting yourself in the shoes of your users and stakeholders to gain a deep understanding of their needs and pain points.
To develop empathy, product managers engage in user research, user testing, and direct user interactions. They actively listen to feedback, conduct surveys, and analyze user behavior data. By seeing the product through the eyes of the users, product managers can create solutions that resonate on a personal level, leading to increased user satisfaction and loyalty.
8. Actively Listen
Listening is a foundational communication skill, but for product managers, it’s elevated to a strategic art. Active listening involves not just hearing words but truly comprehending the underlying messages and emotions. It’s about being fully present in conversations and giving your undivided attention to the speaker.
As a product manager, you actively listen to stakeholders, customers, and team members to gather insights, feedback, and ideas. Active listening helps you identify pain points, uncover opportunities, and build strong relationships based on trust and respect. By fostering open and meaningful dialogues, you create an environment where collaboration and innovation thrive.
9. Prioritize
Effective prioritization is the cornerstone of successful product lifecycle management. Product managers are constantly faced with a multitude of tasks, features, and projects competing for limited resources. Prioritization ensures that you allocate these resources strategically, focusing on the most critical initiatives that align with your product’s goals and vision.
Prioritization frameworks like the MoSCoW method (Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won’t-haves) provide a systematic approach to decision-making. They help you categorize and rank features and projects based on their importance and impact. Prioritization also requires ongoing evaluation and adjustment as market conditions, user feedback, and business objectives evolve.
10. Consider Alternatives
Product managers are not confined to a single solution or approach. Instead, they explore a range of alternatives and assess the advantages and disadvantages of each. This flexibility and willingness to consider multiple options are crucial for informed decision-making.
For instance, when deciding on a new feature for a software product, you might explore different design approaches, technology stacks, or implementation methods. Evaluating alternatives allows you to weigh factors like product development time, resource requirements, user experience, and potential risks. By carefully considering your options, you can choose the most suitable path forward.
11. Make Decisions
Decision-making is one of the essential product management technical skills. Product managers gather data, analyze information, consult with stakeholders, and ultimately make choices that impact the product’s direction. Decisiveness is a valuable trait because it drives progress and ensures that projects move forward.
Decisions come in various forms, from strategic choices about the product management roadmap to tactical decisions about project timelines and resource allocation. While it’s crucial to make informed decisions, it’s equally important to acknowledge that not all decisions will be perfect. Embrace the concept of “good enough” decisions, recognizing that they can be refined and improved as you gather more information and feedback.
12. Everything Is an Experiment
Experimentation is at the heart of the product management toolkit. It involves approaching tasks, projects, and ideas with the mindset that they are experiments to be tested and refined. This outlook encourages you to be open to failure and learn from it.
Consider a scenario where you’re launching a new feature in a mobile app. Instead of assuming that you know exactly how users will react, you treat it as an experiment. You might introduce the feature to a small group of users, gather feedback, and monitor their interactions. This iterative approach allows you to make adjustments based on real-world usage, ensuring that the feature evolves to meet user needs and expectations.
Furthermore, the mindset that “everything is an experiment” extends beyond product features. It applies to various aspects of product management, including marketing strategies, pricing models, and user acquisition tactics. By treating these elements as ongoing experiments, you remain agile and adaptable, ready to pivot when necessary and capitalize on opportunities as they arise.
13. See Things to Completion
Seeing things through to completion is a vital characteristic of successful product managers. It involves not only starting projects but also ensuring they reach their intended conclusion. This commitment to closure is essential for delivering value to users and stakeholders.
For product managers, completion can take many forms:
a. Product Releases: Ensuring that product releases are well-executed, tested, and meet quality standards.
b. Project Delivery: Managing projects from initiation to delivery, ensuring that they stay on schedule and within scope.
c. User Feedback: Closing the loop by responding to user feedback and implementing improvements.
d. Market Research: Completing market research initiatives, analyzing findings, and using insights to inform product decisions.
e. Cross-functional Collaboration: Bringing together teams from different departments to achieve a common goal, such as launching a new product or feature.
By prioritizing completion, product managers demonstrate their dedication to delivering value to users and achieving organizational objectives. They also contribute to a sense of accomplishment and closure within their teams, fostering a culture of accountability and reliability.
Thinking like a product manager is about adopting a mindset that prioritizes curiosity, empathy, and strategic thinking. It’s a journey of continuous learning and growth, characterized by a willingness to ask questions, make decisions, and embrace both success and failure. At the Institute of Product Leadership, we understand that the broadness of your thinking patterns plays a vital role in your decision-making process. Hence we have designed our Executive MBA in Product Leadership tailor-made to help you excel in the field of product data management, and drive meaningful innovation in your products and organizations.
