As an anthropologist with one foot in the product design world, I’ve found that just listening to, watching, or participating with consumers is a huge help. But it is not enough. Some creative spark, some insight beyond the daily lives of customers and consumers, is always needed to create breakthrough products and services. The research is one thing but taking it forward to new places where consumers—and product managers—have not yet set foot is something else entirely.

Its more perspiration than inspiration, and a lot depends on having a wide enough point-of-view, but there is no denying that a spark of something beyond the data is needed to make things happen with new products.

I think that some product managers are “born like it,” but for most of us, it can be learned.

When hiring for positions, there is this idea of traits and competencies.

Competencies are areas that can be learned through experience and training. Technical skills are often competencies; you may hire a good programmer who knows ASP but not PHP, but if they are a good programmer they can probably learn PHP.

Traits are innate qualities that some people have and some people don’t. These are harder (if not impossible) to teach but those who possess those traits improve and enhance them through experience. “Attention to detail” is a good example. Some people are detail-oriented by nature, and some aren’t; it is very difficult to teach this trait to someone who isn’t.

There are some “traits” of good product managers, as you identified — curiosity about customers and the market, ability to take advice, and leadership are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. (More will likely show up here on the blog in due time.)

Many aspects of being good at product management are really “competencies” that can be learned and improved upon.

The trick in being a good product manager (or someone hiring and managing product managers) is to know what the right traits are and hire for those, and know what the competencies are and train for those. Often people are put into product management because they excel at certain competencies but struggle because they do not lack the fundamental traits needed.

I could not agree with you more…
But I have the feeling that there is one thing not said in your article. And that thing seems banned from marketing these days because it is hard to measure. This thing is called instinct.
If you want to be a good product manager, you need an instict for innovation by nature!
And this is hard. You either have talent or no talent to be a good product manager.

The focus groups you are raging about are in my opinion used by product managers without talent.

I do like to know how you think about the ‘old school’ talent fact0r of a product manager. This talent provides a PM the ability to look through the complains and questions of customers, the ability to understand developments in the market and technology etc.

When looking at sales people the majority of the world is convinced that you are one by nature. I believe that this is equality true for the product manager function.
So my bottom line would be: “if you want to be a good product manager, make sure you are born like it”

Kind regards,

Emile Bakker
the Netherlands