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Leadership as a Product Manager

By Parul Goel: Director of Product Management at Indeed.com

Building a strong reputation as a product manager is more than just about skills and knowledge—it’s about adopting the right mindset. In product management, how one thinks and approaches one’s role can significantly impact success. Shifting to a business owner mentality, acting as an orchestra conductor, and guarding time effectively are three transformative changes that can elevate a product manager’s effectiveness and credibility. This article delves into these essential mindset shifts, providing actionable insights and real-world examples to help product managers lead their teams, manage their products, and excel in their careers. Embracing these roles will not only enhance personal growth but also drive the success of the product and the entire organization.

Key Takeaways:

  • Take full ownership of your product’s success by being deeply involved in every aspect, from development to market launch.
  • Ensure seamless team alignment and clear communication to prevent misunderstandings and enhance overall efficiency.
  • Prioritize and manage your calendar to focus on strategic tasks, avoiding the trap of endless meetings and distractions.
In this article
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    Think Like a Business Owner

    Treating a product like one’s own business is a critical mindset shift. This involves taking complete ownership of the product’s success. Here’s how to achieve it:

    • Invest in Success: Approach the product with care and dedication as if personal livelihood depends on it. This perspective changes the approach to work and the product.
    • End-to-End Responsibility: Initially, the role might seem limited to prioritizing and documenting requirements. However, successful product managers take responsibility for the entire process, from development to sales, addressing issues even if they fall outside their immediate role.
    • Influence Beyond Boundaries: Avoid strict boundaries around responsibilities. Engage with all parts of the process, from training the sales team to ensuring operational readiness. Influence should extend across the entire product lifecycle.

    Key Behaviors to Adopt

    • Care About Every Role: Ensure all teams involved in the product’s success are performing their roles effectively, even if they don’t report directly to the product manager.
    • Stay Plugged In: Be involved in every stage of the product lifecycle, from design and development to market launch and sales training. Maintain open communication channels with all teams.
    • Hold Others Accountable: While not doing others’ jobs, find ways to ensure they meet their commitments through regular check-ins, offering support, and setting clear expectations.

    Act as an Orchestra Conductor

    As a product manager, it is essential to unify and align the team. Misunderstandings and lack of information can lead to problems that will need fixing later. Here’s how to ensure smooth coordination:

    • Avoid Miscommunication: Much time can be spent resolving issues caused by misunderstandings. Prevent this by ensuring everyone on the team has the necessary information.
    • Keep Everyone Informed: Regularly update the team on the big picture, including who the customer is, the problem being solved, and why it’s important. Also, keep them informed about current priorities and recent decisions.

    Effective Communication Strategies

    • Start Meetings with Key Updates: Begin meetings by covering the basic information and current priorities to ensure everyone is on the same page.
    • Be Involved in Status Reporting: Even if not directly responsible, ensure status reports are accurate and up-to-date. This ensures consistent information across the board.
    • Build Relationships with Influencers: Identify key team members who can help spread accurate information and maintain alignment within their teams.
    executive mba in product management

    Guard Your Time and Calendar

    Time is the most valuable resource for a product manager. Managing it effectively is crucial to success. Here’s how to take control:

    • Prioritize Strategically: Take the time to define priorities. Without clear priorities, others will dictate the schedule, pulling the product manager in multiple directions.
    • Block Focus Time: At the start of each week, block two to three hours daily for focused work. This proactive approach ensures dedicated time to work on priorities.
    • Minimize Distractions: During focus time, eliminate distractions by turning off notifications and resisting the urge to check emails or messages.

    Adopting these three roles—thinking like a business owner, acting as an orchestra conductor, and guarding time—significantly impacts effectiveness and reputation as a product manager. By taking full ownership, ensuring team alignment, and managing time wisely, product managers are better equipped to lead and succeed in their roles.

    About the Author:

    Parul Goel: Director of Product Management at Indeed.com

    Frequently Asked Questions

    A product mindset is crucial because it drives a product manager to take full ownership and responsibility for their product’s success, fostering a holistic approach that goes beyond just development. It ensures the product manager is deeply involved in every phase, from design and customer research to market launch and sales training. This comprehensive involvement leads to better decision-making, team alignment, and ultimately, a more successful product.

    A product manager mindset involves adopting roles such as a business owner, taking full responsibility for the product’s success; an orchestra conductor, ensuring seamless team alignment and communication; and a time guardian, managing priorities effectively to focus on strategic tasks. This mindset shift is essential for driving product success, enhancing team collaboration, and achieving organizational goals.

    To build a product mindset, start by adopting a business owner mentality, and taking full responsibility for your product’s success. Act as an orchestra conductor, ensuring clear communication and alignment among all team members. Lastly, guard your time diligently, prioritizing strategic tasks and managing your calendar effectively to avoid unnecessary distractions.

    Institute of Product Leadership is Asia’s First Business School providing accredited degree programs and certification courses exclusively in Product Management, Strategy, and Leadership.
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