10 Lessons I learned In My Journey as a Product Manager.

I know it took me a while to put this article up. I’ve been extremely engaged with other activities, but I promise to write more often.

This piece is one of those I take time to reflect on before I pen down my thoughts. Mind you, I’m still striving to be a better PM, and even though in the past year and recently, I’ve helped quite a number of newbies get into Product Management, I’ll be sharing 10 Lessons I learned in my journey so far as a Product Manager.

1. Understand your Product: As product managers, you’ll be leading the development of your product and not only that, you’ll be the one to define what success would look like for your product. Understanding your product’s goals, Business goals, Vision of the product, and extensively understanding what problem your product is solving is key. Understanding your WHY, WHAT and How of your product is essential.
2. Build yourself like a Product: I started my product management journey with not so clear vision of what I wanted to become, but one of the things I took serious was building my brand and positioning myself in the PM and Tech Space; well not like I’ve gotten to where I want to yet. As time went by, my career vision, long term & short goals became clearer, I kept building on myself, actively learning and open to feedback. As Product Managers you have to build yourself like a Product.
3. Have an innovative mindset: To become a better Product Manager, you have to have an innovative mindset and be a critical thinker. Products aren’t just built, it takes a lot ideation, critical thinking, research before it is being brought to life. As Tech evolves, you have to be actively thinking of ways to better improve your product and be innovative about your ideas.
4. Product Management isn’t a Shortcut to Tech: A lot of people tend to believe that since they can’t code, the easiest Career path to delve into is Product Management. Product Management is hard, what other word can I use? It’s hard and it’s not easy. It takes a lot to be a Product Manager; Being a critical thinker, Decision Maker, Effective leader, People Manager, Empathetic Manager and many more. They seem easy but when you eventually have to start using these skills, you realize it’s more than that.
5. Prioritize both your physical and mental health: Health is wealth like we all say. Sometimes people only focus on the physical health and neglecting the mental health, forgetting that a healthy mind results to a healthy productive lifestyle. Product management can be so demanding that sometimes, you struggle to care for your mental health. Having healthy routines or habits that can help you balance a healthy mental health is key.
6. Learn everyday: When I say learn everyday you know I’m not saying every day, I meant be an ‘active Learner’. Product Management is a broad Career path, and even though you don’t have to be expert in all aspects, it’s important to be able to understand every other aspects of Product Management. Learning from experts, online learning, learning from experience are ways to learn. Learning is a continuous journey and Tech itself is a fast pace sector.
7. Build rich connections: Building rich connections is key in Tech, and it has a lot of its advantages. Remember that; “Your Network is your net-worth”, this is really true. Having the right connections and people in your corner would help your journey a lot easier as a product Manager; From learning from their experience, guidance, to even opportunities.
8. Product Managers wears many hats : So far in my career, I’ve realized that not only are we Product Managers but we’re superheroes. Product Managers are at the center of the Product, and we do more than managing the Product. Some Product Managers do responsibilities of Quality Assurance tester, Business analyst, marketing manager, Scrum Master, Project manager and many more. Kudos to all Product Managers!
9. Documentation is a key aspect of Product Management: As product managers, ability to effectively Document processes and tools, Product Documentations is key especially if you’re just starting in PM or in the junior level. Documentation plays a crucial role in Product Development and it serves as a guide for knowledge sharing. I wrote and article on Effective Documentation, check it out.
10. Product Managers embraces Feedback: Feedback could be positive or negative, what makes you a better Product Manager is your ability to embrace feedback both on your product and on your Career journey.

If you’re a newbie or junior Product Manager or looking to transition into Product Management, these lessons could help you navigate your journey better.

Thank you for reading, and I’m wishing you a success in your Product Management journey!💙😊

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