{"id":5076,"date":"2017-09-05T09:18:47","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T08:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/?p=5076"},"modified":"2023-04-19T14:58:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:58:49","slug":"essential-skills-for-product-manager-roles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/essential-skills-for-product-manager-roles\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Brilliant Little Skills To Master Your Role As A Product Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Here\u2019s what no one has told you about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/steps-to-becoming-a-product-manager\/\">your role as a product manager<\/a>: it\u2019s essentially a sales job. Except it\u2019s possibly the hardest sales job of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/229506824\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because you don\u2019t get training or even training wheels when you start this gig &#8211; and no one tells you that the hardest thing about a product manager role is managing people.<br><br>As co-founder of ProdPad and Mind the Product, I\u2019ve worked with hundreds of product managers and product teams so far.<br><br><strong>There has never been an exception to this rule.<\/strong><br><br>People are hard. People are unpredictable. They have office politics, opinions and expectations. They\u2019re biased. They\u2019re wrong more than they want to be. Then there\u2019s this whole other group of people who have more power and money and who aren&#8217;t afraid to use it.<br><br>When things go wrong, what I can tell you for certain is that your roadmap won&#8217;t be the problem. It\u2019s how you\u2019re dealing with people problems.<br><br>This was the topic I dove into at my talk at a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindtheproduct.com\/2017\/09\/survive-hardest-part-product-management-janna-bastow\/?utm_content=bufferd2853&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\"> Mind the Product conference in San Francisco<\/a> a little while ago. You can watch the full video above or skip right to the seven survival tactics I&#8217;ve learned over the years as a product manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-survival-tactics-for-your-product-management-career\">7 survival tactics for your product management career&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-ask-open-questions-to-get-people-talking\">1. Ask open questions to get people talking<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/giphy-3.gif\" alt=\"Asking open questions\" class=\"wp-image-5078\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>One of the more stressful myths about your role as a product manager is that you should be one with all the answers. That\u2019s a tall order were it true &#8211; but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s not your job to show up with answers. You\u2019re supposed to know <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">less<\/span> than your colleagues!<br><br>Instead, show up with the best questions to draw out insights that your colleagues can offer to you and the rest of the company. Use prompts to get people to continue talking and elaborating, whether it\u2019s at your quarterly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/give-successful-product-presentation\/\">roadmap meeting<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/first-thing-new-product-manager-should-do\/\">you\u2019re getting oriented at your new product manager job<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>\u201cGo on\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>\u201cTell me what you really think\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>People clam up when they feel their ideas are not worth sharing &#8211; and this is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">toxic<\/span> at a product company.&nbsp;The most valuable product ideas come from within your business, but not if they\u2019re being dismissed, ignored or belittled.<br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/building-effective-product-teams\/\">Effective product managers<\/a> let other people talk while they look for opportunities. You can too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-make-your-roadmap-tell-a-story\">2. Make your roadmap tell a story<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details.png\" alt=\"product roadmap template\" class=\"wp-image-4449\" width=\"600\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details.png 2400w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details-1024x697.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details-768x523.png 768w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details-1536x1046.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/roadmap-details-2048x1394.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A bad product roadmap is a symptom of underlying issues in the company.<br><br>It\u2019s a bad sign if you use acronyms on your product roadmap. A pretty bad sign too if you have a bunch of features that require you and your scrum master on hand to translate. It shows that the most basic plans for your product\u2019s future are inaccessible to the people working on them.<br><br>The essence of the product manager role is to be a storyteller. If you\u2019re going to get alignment, your roadmap needs to tell the STORY of how you\u2019re going to reach your product vision.<br><br>Stories have massive power to translate difficult concepts and to get people on your side. It\u2019s why we write user stories and jobs to be done. It\u2019s why we craft user personas and specs.<br><br>It\u2019s your daily job to be the best communicator &#8211; and part of that responsibility includes aligning your organization around one product narrative. Simplify your roadmap and focus on communicating what matters: where you are now and what sorts of things you\u2019re going to do moving forward.<br><br><strong>RELATED:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/how-to-build-a-product-roadmap-everyone-understands\/\">How To Build A Product Roadmap Everyone Understands<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-play-the-product-tree-game\">3. Play the Product Tree game<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Webp.net-gifmaker.gif\" alt=\"Product Tree Game\" class=\"wp-image-5090\" width=\"666\" height=\"375\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t have a product roadmap? Build one together! The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/product-tree-game\/\">Product Tree<\/a> is the perfect game to bring your team into early strategic discussions.<br><br>Find a big blank wall and put up a big blank tree outline. The trunk is what you currently have and will build from, and the branches represent product areas, or directions your product could grow in. The roots represent the infrastructure that holds your whole product up.<br><br>Get your team to write down as many product ideas as they can on to sticky notes. Then have them work together to place the leaves on the tree.<br><br>Your job as product manager is to lightly curate, but let them each make their own arguments for or against the placement of each leaf. This is your chance to learn what\u2019s important to each person in your company.<br><br>The end result is the beginnings of your roadmap. Not a bad ROI for a fun afternoon project!<br><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/product-tree-game\/\">Get a blank Product Tree here (PDF version)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-invest-in-psychological-safety\">4. Invest in psychological safety<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.40.40-PM.png\" alt=\"What is psychological safety?\" class=\"wp-image-5088\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.40.40-PM.png 1440w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.40.40-PM-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.40.40-PM-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.40.40-PM-768x431.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I once worked with a customer who joined a company as Head of Product. In the interview itself, several people broke out in tears. They were desperate for help. <\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The culture at this organization was completely broken &#8211; and building back a sense of trust and psychological safety was her first order of business.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what is psychological safety? It\u2019s when you make people feel comfortable speaking up, whether it\u2019s to report errors or pitch in to help with the product.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be as simple as a couple tweaks to your language that help people to feel like they can open up. <\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How might we\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/i><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using this kind of language turns the issue into a collective problem. It supposes instead of asserts and it doesn\u2019t make anyone feel like they\u2019ve been put on the spot.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there\u2019s this one: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I bet\u2026!<\/span><\/i><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI bet\u201d is a bit of a language trick. It gives you permission to make a guess, but it also gives you space to fail and try again. After all, it not YOU that was wrong \u2013 it was your hypothesis.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another big way to create a feeling of safety in the workplace is to elevate the voices of those around you and make your team feel valued.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI like what Sam just said, when she suggested we so-and-so.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMark had a great point about that earlier.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give credit where it\u2019s due. If you want your team always to have your back, make sure you\u2019ve got theirs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-when-things-get-tough-make-a-product-box\">4. When things get tough, make a product box<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.41.00-PM.png\" alt=\"A product box idea\" class=\"wp-image-5089\" width=\"720\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.41.00-PM.png 1440w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.41.00-PM-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.41.00-PM-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.41.00-PM-768x431.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>What if you have to sell your product vision to someone who isn\u2019t buying in? If you can\u2019t get your boss onboard with your plans, you\u2019re going to have to bring more to the table than an opposing viewpoint.<br><br>Get you team ready for an afternoon of arts and crafts &#8211; I have another game for you.<br><br>The Product Box is a storytelling game. It\u2019s a great lean validation tool when you\u2019re thinking about a new pivot or feature.<br><br>Start with a bunch of crafty materials, like cardboard, stickers, markers, tape, whatever you can get your hands on. Then think about how you\u2019d sell the feature if it was a cereal box.<br><br>By the time you\u2019re done, it\u2019ll be covered in what your team thinks are the biggest selling points. Practice selling your box to other groups and get a feel for what sticks.<br><br>You\u2019ll develop something everyone on the team can get behind and believe in. Take that to the boss &#8211; this time, with the full buy-in of your team &#8211; and try again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-call-bullshit-when-you-see-it\">6. Call bullshit when you see it<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.55.24-PM.png\" alt=\"Objection Handling for Product Managers\" class=\"wp-image-5091\" width=\"720\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.55.24-PM.png 1440w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.55.24-PM-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.55.24-PM-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-05-at-2.55.24-PM-768x431.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sometimes you have to hit \u2018em where it hurts to make your point.<br><br>I once worked with a client, Penny, whose exec team had told her the roadmap was set in stone. It had no scope for experimentation and it had to be delivered all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"328\" height=\"165\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/giphy-6.gif\" alt=\"No no no gif\" class=\"wp-image-5085\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br><br>This was crazy by any standard. But it was also a terrible business decision to invest in a roadmap that no one could validate!<br><br>So here\u2019s what Penny and I did to get our way. She developed a spreadsheet that compared the cost of the 5 years development against the potential costs of building the wrong thing. Penny showed them the money, including the financial cost of supporting the accruing technical debt. That did the trick.<br><br>Her bosses came around to the fact that the roadmap was full of things that might not matter by the time they launched. Better to spend resources on experimenting and iterating.<br><br>So speak up when you\u2019re told to cut corners. Call bullshit when you see it. It might be hard now, but not as hard as when you\u2019re stuck with a product no one wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-use-the-old-improv-tactic-yes-and\">7. Use the old improv tactic: &#8220;Yes and&#8230;&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you heard of \u201cYes and\u2026\u201d? It\u2019s an improv exercise to keep a scene going, but also a really useful internal sales tactic.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"258\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/giphy-7.gif\" alt=\"Product manager skills\" class=\"wp-image-5086\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br><br>Use it to agree with the person and their premise, and then add to it and rework it in a way that bridges the conversation back to your agenda as product manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>\u201cYes and&#8230;that\u2019s exactly what I was thinking about when I designed this workflow.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>\u201cYes and&#8230;.I agree that our UI needs work which is why I suggest looking into this design?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>\u201cYes and&#8230;I think this is an important issue too. How about we start with this project I\u2019ve suggested?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It also helps you negotiate for what you want without shutting them down.<br><br>Get to know the executives in your company. Communicate in a way that makes sense to them. Find out their objectives and figure out what problems you can solve for them. &nbsp;It moves the conversation in the direction you want it to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gmail_default\">\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">BONUS: Learn to live with Imposter Syndrome (we all have it!)<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Finally, don\u2019t apologize for what you don\u2019t know. You\u2019re not behind the pack and you\u2019re definitely not alone. We\u2019re all winging it here!<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5082 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/santa.png\" alt=\"imposter syndrome\" width=\"500\" height=\"526\"><\/figure><p dir=\"ltr\"><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Having a touch of Imposter Syndrome is good for you. It means you\u2019re self aware.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What I\u2019ve shared here is advice that I\u2019ve learned over a decade in a product manager role &#8211; it certainly doesn\u2019t happen overnight. Great products are built with learning and iteration. Great product managers are too.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">No two product managers will have exactly the same challenges. We\u2019re all dealing with a product culture made up of different people, personalities, and politics.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The best way to speed up your progress? Surround yourself with other product managers! Reach out for help and you\u2019ll get it.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h4 dir=\"ltr\">Want the full slide deck from my talk at MTPcon San Francisco? <a href=\"http:\/\/roadmapclinic.com?utm_source=mtp+blog\">Grab them here<\/a>.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/sandbox\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sandbox-banner_Blogs-1280x300-1-1024x240.png\" alt=\"Access the Sandbox\" class=\"wp-image-80390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sandbox-banner_Blogs-1280x300-1-1024x240.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sandbox-banner_Blogs-1280x300-1-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sandbox-banner_Blogs-1280x300-1-768x180.png 768w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/sandbox-banner_Blogs-1280x300-1.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s what no one has told you about your role as a product manager: it\u2019s essentially a sales job. Except it\u2019s possibly the hardest sales job of your life. Because&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[165],"pp_uni_tag":[],"class_list":["post-5076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-product-leadership","tag-product-management-best-practice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>7 Brilliant Skills To Master Product Manager Roles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What no one tells you about your role as a product manager: it\u2019s essentially a sales job. 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