Do you need to be a connoisseur of products to be a good product manager?
Jason Knight
8 replies
Inspired by a recent Twitter discussion... To paraphrase "you're not a proper product person if you don't spend substantial time looking at other people's products. You need to have 10 pages of apps on your phone otherwise I'm not going to hire you"
Looking at other people's products can be fun, but is it really a predictor of someone being able to build them?
Replies
Kurt Stangl@thunderheart_
I don’t like the poll question. I don’t agree with the way it’s framed.
Cooks get better by watching other cooks, painters get better by watching other painters and builders get better by watching other builders.
So too do product managers get better by being fascinated by their craft and sharing ideas.
It will be a predictor of how fast they learn and the breadth of ideas they have in their tool belt.
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@thunderheart_ I agree that people need inspiration, but looking at someone else's outputs seems disconnected from the reality of making those outputs yourselves (or if you should even try). You're not "watching other builders" if you just look at what they built.
@jasontheknight Yes but product management and the ability to develop product sense is way more than that small sliver.
Its understanding a variety of markets and approaches. Its about being aware of design trends. Its about seeing what works and what doesnt work in action.
Looking at the effect of outputs as well has value. It expands ones sensibilities.
@thunderheart_ sure. I'm not saying don't do it. I'm not even saying it's not valuable. But the original poster (on Twitter) was basically saying "if you don't do this you're not a proper product person" which I think is patently untrue!
@jasontheknight I agree with that. That's an inspid argument that doesn't deserve our attention.
The idea of being aware of the marketplace is very important. Using it as a reason to tear someone else down is only worth ignoring.
Being a connoisseur of products can certainly enhance a product manager's insight and intuition, but it's not a prerequisite. What's crucial is the ability to understand customer needs, market trends, and how to translate those into successful products.
IMO to be a great PM, you need to be the most knowledgeable person ever about your product.
In the sense that you must know what people think of it, what their pain points are, why they would need it…
And the alternatives they have.
So yes, in that sense it s important to be aware of other products by your competition.
And On a broader level, being interested in « products » from various markets / areas in general will help you practice your product sense and boost creativity.
That s why every PM should spend time every week on PH for example