The Modern PM

5 traits of product leaders that kick butt

Product Management is one of the vaguest job functions ever created. Every company views it differently, and even within a company different groups have different definitions. Unlike software engineers, product managers don’t have a well defined career path — they come from everywhere — engineering, quality assurance, marketing, sales, everywhere.

That worked 10 years ago, when product management was largely about writing specifications. Today, things are different. Product Managers are no longer about writing “product requirements document” and sitting in “product scrub meetings” all day. It takes a lot of thought, research, experimentation, creativity, and grit to build products and win users.

So what traits should “modern product leaders” possess?

1. Observant

They’re always watching users — beyond just metrics and dashboards. They’re curious about every small thing — What is the user trying to accomplish? Why did they chose this product over others? What do they do before, during, and after interacting with the product.

They look at every piece of feedback that comes in. They respond to every customer problem. They create surveys that delight. They know what to ask, when to listen, and when to ignore. They befriend users on Facebook — they knows users by name. They know that core users become part of the product itself.

They’re maniacal about research. They know how the market came to be, where it’s headed, and what the competition is doing. They keep tabs on everything, but create a vision that goes beyond the obvious.

They understand users better than the users understand themselves

2. Technical

They may not have a CS degree, but are savvy enough to explain why things work the way they work. They understand the process (and complexity) of software development, build a culture of incremental changes, and communicate clearly and concisely with data points where available. They’re ruthless about prioritization.

They’re script junkies —they can automate a lot of things themselves without relying on engineers. They create tools that could end up becoming the most important ones for everyone to check on product.

They’re well connected within the engineering circles — they know where to get some quick engineering help or hire rockstars full-time.

They realize that coding is not just for building products — it’s a life skill that saves a ton of time

3. Analytical

They may not be formal data scientists, but are data maniacs. They understand the difference between big data and bad data. They’re familiar with all the analytics tools, and know what and when to add to capture good data.

They’re familiar with enough data tools and frameworks to do quick analyses themselves and find insights. They’re always looking for blind spots.

They’re well connected within the data science community — they know where to get some quick data science help or hire rockstar data scientists.

They make data informed, not data driven decisions

4. Design Focused

They may not be visual designers, but understand what design really means and why it’s important. They know that good design is not just about good designers, and build a strong design culture within the team. They understand that good design takes time, and know the difference between good, perfect, and done.

They’re familiar with quick design tools and can illustrate inspiring ideas and concepts clearly rather than just writing product specs. They constantly look out for design inspiration. They inspire designers.

They’re well connected within the design community — they know where to get some quick part-time design help or hire awesome designers full-time.

They realize that design is not a designer’s job — it’s a mindset and a culture for everyone on the team

5. Entrepreneurial

They may not have built billion dollar businesses, but have launched and grown at-least one product (using their own money) that they’re proud of, even if it didn’t take off. They love to explain the journey — why the world needed their product, how they got users, and where it ended up if it’s not still active.

They believe that the world is truly flat, and are hungry for success. They’re proud of their prior work but deep inside feel a insatiable desire to build things for a billion people and make the world a better place.

They realize that of all the skills they have, grit and perseverance are the two things that matter the most.