,
12 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
1/ It’s nearly impossible to define what makes a PM great. They have diverse backgrounds, murky responsibilities, and wildly varied expectations across companies. That said, here’s an inherently incomplete list of 10 areas great PMs excel at:
2/ Great PMs live in the future and work backwards. They immerse themselves in research, feedback, data, discussions, and the market. They craft thoughtful, inspiring narratives for where the product should go — and the best path to get there.
3/ Great PMs amplify their teams. They listen well. They infuse urgency. They foster collective creativity. They build consensus by default, but can drive hard decisions when they have to. They take blame and pass on praise.
4/ Great PMs focus on impact. They constantly fine-tune the product strategy, so their teams never worry about whether their hard work will matter. They don’t care about accolades from peers, Apple design awards, or press write-ups.
5/ Great PMs write well. They are succinct, structured, thorough, and persuasive.
6/ Great PMs drive high-quality decisions. They make two-way door calls quickly, and help the org make one-way calls judiciously. They care about getting to the right decision, not whether they are right. They are the ultimate facilitator.
7/ Great PMs optimize for learning. They voraciously seek out insights about customer needs and pain points through research, experiments, and cross-functional partners. They course correct constantly.
8/ Great PMs execute impeccably. They say what they’ll do, and then do what they say. Their follow-through is impeccable, and they don’t let details slip. When they join a team, quality and pace seems to dramatically improve overnight.
9/ Great PMs apply product taste. They have a well honed sense of what a well crafted product experience feels like. They smartly balance quality with the demands of time and scope.
10/ Great PMs exhibit data fluency. They define and track the key metrics that matter, and align the whole org around them. They know how to design and analyze solid experiments — and know when hill-climbing isn’t worth it.
11/ Great PMs are technical. Though they may not have CS degrees, they are effective collaborators and sounding boards for their engineering partners. They can help weigh complex technical tradeoffs and design decisions.
12/ In summary: great PMs do whatever it takes for their team to fine tune strategic angle and accelerate pace of impact. This list is just a first, rough stab — what are the biggest pieces missing?
