The Modern Product Manager

I’ve been bringing software to market for a long time.  One of the things I love most about the tech industry and specifically the Product Manager role itself, is the constant way things evolve and morph over time.  As a technology professional, it has been necessary to continually evolve and grow to remain relevant in such an exciting industry. I have learned a lot over the years about what works and what doesn’t as a Product Manager - today’s topic will focus on what I call the “Modern Product Manager.”  

So what does it mean to be a “Modern Product Manager”?  Today’s Product Manager ensures the best product is built for the target customer, serving his/her organization by articulating the WHAT and WHY with clarity and energy.  I think this is a good “elevator pitch” of what Product Managers do, no matter what industry or company stage. Yes, it’s true you can ask 10 people what it means to be a Product Manager and you’ll get 10 different answers, but I think the statement above boils it down to the essence of good Product Management.  

Today's Product Manager ensures the best product is built for the target customer, serving his/her organization by articulating the WHAT and WHY with clarity and energy.

Product Managers are responsible for knowing their market and especially their customers - the better they know the customer, the more they maximize their chances of building the best product experience for them.  There are, of course, other challenges PM’s face that can inhibit building the best possible experiences, but a PM cannot be effective if he/she doesn’t know the customer well enough to know what they need most.  

Product Managers need to communicate well - you’ve probably heard that generic statement before, right?  What does it really mean, though? Everyone, no matter what role you are in, needs to communicate well in order to work well with others - that frankly is table stakes!  But specific to Product Management, let’s dive deeper: in my experience, PM’s must be able to clearly articulate WHAT is being built (currently and upcoming), and WHY it’s so important to be building those things.  The most effective PM’s know what level of detail to provide to his/her audience members, and they know how to articulate it with proper reasoning and energy to persuade the given audience WHY it’s so important to be building those things.  

Modern Product Managers “serve their organizations” - I explicitly use this wording because PM’s, really, don’t have authority across the teams they work with, nor the stakeholders they partner with.  Effective Product Managers are good partners across various groups - one way I put it is they are in many cases, the “glue” that makes sure everyone is strategically aligned.   

Finally, I’ll dig into how Modern Product Managers can be more persuasive and articulate.  You see this a lot out there - PM’s must be “data-driven.” I agree wholeheartedly, but I also know it’s hard to be as data-driven as one might want because of deadlines, execution issues, misaligned progress, etc.  That said, at the end of the day, PM’s must be as data-driven in their approach to building product, as well as how they work collaboratively within the organization to ensure efficiency and quality. I’ll be writing a whole series on what I believe it means to truly have a “data-driven” product organization, it’s pretty meaty.  

At the end of the day, if you buy into the idea that the “Modern Product Manager” ensures the best product is built for the target customer, serving his/her organization by articulating the WHAT and WHY with clarity and energy - then I put forward 5 attributes that I think effective PM’s should exhibit that will best serve them as they fulfill the above core responsibilities.

They have high emotional intelligence, or EQ.
They are persuasive.
They are adaptive.
They are curious.
They are data-driven.

If you are a Product Manager looking to grow, consider how well you exhibit these attributes.  If you are a manager of a product organization, think about your PM’s and their effectiveness within your organization and with stakeholders.  And if you are an executive looking at how you can influence the speed and quality of product you bring to market, consider how well your Product Managers and Sr. Leadership are working together and leveraging the right data to make the best informed decisions.