People would rather work with a product manager who’s 5/10 technically, but a 10/10 to work with, than one who’s a 10/10 technically but a 0/10 to work with.
Great product managers are able to collaborate cross-functionally; this skill is dependent on how others felt when they work with said PM.
I’ve had my share of great product managers and not-so-great ones in the past. If there’s anything that I’ve witnessed time and time again, its the people who people generally like that climb to things like promotions and better pay. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that technical skill is not important. If a job requires you to influence code, knowing what GitHub is and the difference between development and production environments is little important (if the sarcasm didn’t translate, it’s very important). But, long-term success is dependent on whether or not the people they work with enjoy working with that person.
Great PMs were generally easier for others to work with and feel good working with. Inversely, not-so-great PMs frequently found themselves at odds with others; where straightforward initiatives suffered from constant back and forths.
Laying it out, in no unclear terms:
Great product managers act like a partner. Not-so-great ones act like a boss.
Great product managers prioritize and keep things simple for their teams. Not-so-great ones inadvertently scatter teams and their efforts.
Great product managers give credit where it’s due. Not-so-great ones take it all for themselves.
Essentially, if you’re a product manager that puts the product’s and others’ needs over their own, you’ll be well on your way being a 10/10 person to work with and get far more good done than someone who makes others’ hair turn grey 20 or 30 years too early.
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