Product management is an exciting career, and it involves looking after a specific product within a brand. Product managers should drive the development of a business’s product and be an effective tool to liaise between the business’s needs and the customer’s wants.
If you have recently landed your dream job as a product manager, you will probably be feeling some of those first-day jitters. That happens to newbies and established product management pros alike, so lean into it – those nerves will help you to succeed.
The first thirty days in your new role will be intense, so buckle up!
You are in the best place to affect change and be the most effective product manager that your new company has ever seen, you just need to follow these top five best practices below:
Be Adaptive
The last thing a product development team needs is a rigid manager.
Product planning and development is best served by an adaptive leadership that understands and embraces collaborative efforts. Welcome opinions from different departments, expand the conversation, and see what a difference it makes to the outcome of each product.
Create an open dialogue and allow minor issues to get raised so they can get resolved before they become a bigger problem.
Develop Soft Skills
Listening is one of the most underrated soft skills in the arsenal of any leader.
Addressing issues with a product, whether they stem from your customer’s experience or a savvy employee who picks up a problem before that product launches. The origin is not important – but listening is.
Find out what matters and become an active listener who engages and follows through on issues raised.
Master the art of listening first; that will help you to become a better communicator and enable your employees to achieve a work-life balance.
Fix Problems
Every product or service should fix a problem.
The first step in any new product management role is to figure out the pain points that your new company’s product will effectively address.
Conduct in-depth research, analyze feedback and user data, and track your competition with the right product management solution. Share what you learn with your team, that way you can all contribute to finding the best way to fix that problem and fill the gap in the market.
Get To Know Your Team
One of the most crucial skills for a product manager to have is a refined set of people skills.
Managing people is not easy, particularly with loads of strong personalities and characteristics in the mix. Get to know your team and figure out what the team dynamic is early in the game.
Coaching players and coaching employees are quite similar. You must find a way to balance the team’s strengths and weaknesses, without compromising on the product.
The Bigger Picture
Lastly, never lose sight of the bigger picture. Product development and management is an ever-evolving subject. Set goals, but always know that the bigger picture is the most important aspect of product management.
Set clear expectations, allow for deviations, and celebrate the wins – that will make your job much easier.