4 Qualities A Great Product Manager Should Have

A lot of people who want to enter the world of product management usually ask this question, “Am I product manager material?” Because while it is very easy to fall in love with the prestige of the role, being a product manager requires a lot of skill and experience which not everyone can confidently claim to have.

If you are one of the many who are aspiring to be the next Steve Jobs or Marissa Mayer, here are four attributes that are common among successful product managers.

Read through these carefully and see if you possess the qualities necessary to excel in the field of product management.

Vision

A great product manager does not rely on what was learned from their product management training alone. They look around and seek ways to improve the current situation.

They provide innovative solutions to current and future problems. They look beyond the present as they constantly think of ways to adapt to the ever-changing factors that surrounds them and their market. You will have to look past the current solutions and anticipate future scenarios that will need further innovations.

Transparency

An amazing product manager knows how to communicate their thoughts, feedback, and decisions in a straightforward manner without being offensive or arrogant. You will have to be able to provide constructive criticism to your team if something is not working, and encourage them to improve by giving them the appropriate guidance.

You will also have to be able to deliver timely feedback and explanation for any changes that might happen, so that everyone is on the same page. Being open and honest to your team helps build trust and motivates them to work harder at achieving the goals that you have set for them.

Perception

Product managers can either be technical or non-technical, what matters is that you are able to understand and communicate the lingo of diverse teams that will be involved in the delivery of your product. As you will be closely working with different business units in the company, it is important that you are also sensitive and adaptable to the varying behaviors of each group, from product engineers to the stakeholders.

You will have to be skillful in understanding social cues, acknowledging what is important to your team and keeping their unique values in mind as you position your requests. While product management involves meeting the end users’ needs and preferences, it also involves sensitivity to the needs of the many individuals who are collaborating with you in the creation of the product.

Focus

If you want to succeed in product management, you will need to be extremely focused and be able to effectively manage your very limited time. There will be a lot on your plate, and the only way you can get things done right and achieve the goals and objectives set by the company is by prioritizing those which will help you reach the big picture.

You will have to know which information is vital for your success and which ones need to be ignored, which requests to respond to first and which ones can be attended to later on, or never. While your role will entail pleasing a lot of people within the company as well as end users, it also entails being able to properly discern which things need to be actioned upon and which ones do not.

Michelle Rubio has been writing for SMEs across the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK for the last five years. She is a highly-experienced blogger and SEO copywriter, writing business blogs for various industries such as marketing, law, health and wellness, beauty, and education, particularly on product management training such as those offered by ProductSchool.com. 

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