One year ago I started my PM career with a post on Twitter. Today I share with you my biggest learnings throughout the year. #givingback #product management
https://twitter.com/AlmeidaInsights/status/1480275927644971010
1/ Building trust is key when starting out as a PM. Don’t try to do everything at once like talking to more users, being more data-driven etc. First you need to excel with what already exists and only then you can start to uncover new growth levers for the team.
2/ Soft skills trump everything else and being able to manage your emotions is the most important skill of all. Meditation is the most powerful tool for this as it will help you to be in touch with what you're feeling and why.
3/ Likewise, you need to become a master in managing your own energy and be a source of optimism for your team (especially in the tough moments). Stoicism helps with this and other emotional intelligence areas.
4/ Always be learning. The habit of deep work and reflection is something you need to protect at all costs. Like a mentor of mine said in my first week on the job: “Living and learning...”
5/ Be interested in people. A PM needs to have a genuine interest in all things business and all things technology. Show care, ask good questions and shut up. Your people are the best source of knowledge. Make the most of it!
6/ The power of atomic PM habits. Small things can have big impacts over time. Tackling code reviews, refactorization and documentation can provide strong value over time for your product. Small experiments > Big features over time.
7/ One way to foster a collaborative structure is through somehow silly rituals. Things like specific dress codes in demo days, customised Zoom backgrounds and special nicknames for the team foster a sense of psychological safety and trust.
8/ Prioritisation is a team sport and roadmaps are a collaborative tool that stems for the overall business and product strategy. It’s not just a timeline of features (although you need one!)
9/ Talking to users is very important but it doesn’t end there. After that you need to build experiments to test the hypotheses you’ve uncovered through data.
10/ There will always be work. While there’s still a lot to learn you need to know when to disconnect and work on your life outside of work. Everyone will benefit from it 🙂
Now’s it’s time for me to disconnect and finish my personal OKR’s for 2023. Nobody said you can’t apply PM stuff to other areas of your life! 🙏
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