Comments on: Good product managers are not born, they are made http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/ A blog with tips on product management and related topics. Written by Jeff Lash, a product manager in St. Louis, MO Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:14:56 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ainie http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-9442 Ainie Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:48:54 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-9442 The article sounds interesting! The article sounds interesting!

]]> By: Changing Jobs in Product Management: Interviewing and Offer Evaluation (Part II of III) | Product Beautiful: Building Product Management by Paul Young http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-9433 Changing Jobs in Product Management: Interviewing and Offer Evaluation (Part II of III) | Product Beautiful: Building Product Management by Paul Young Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:58:53 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-9433 [...] you’re not yet into PM, but want to be, read Jeff Lash’s article about how good PM’s are not born, they are made. These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web [...] [...] you’re not yet into PM, but want to be, read Jeff Lash’s article about how good PM’s are not born, they are made. These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web [...]

]]> By: shibu thankachan http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-4888 shibu thankachan Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:47:01 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-4888 fantastic way of data presenting.really good for a beginer in product management field. fantastic way of data presenting.really good for a beginer in product management field.

]]> By: SUBRATA KUMAR PRADHAN http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3772 SUBRATA KUMAR PRADHAN Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:35:22 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3772 EXCELLENT ....KEEP IT UP EXCELLENT ….KEEP IT UP

]]> By: Jeff Lash http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3466 Jeff Lash Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:38:17 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3466 Great suggestions, Patrick. Sri, here's a few other ideas that came to mind as far as how to find customers to meet with: <ul> <li>Ask your customers if they'd be interested in providing feedback. Put a form on your web site that they can fill out, providing their contact information.</li> <li>Use the product / social network to find people to talk with. Assuming you're using your own product, you can build networks and use that as an opportunity to find people interested in providing feedback.</li> <li>Place an ad on Craigslist or a similar site, offering people the opportunity to provide feedback on a new product.</li> <li>Ask friends of friends and friends of colleagues to put you in touch with users or potential users to give feedback. In some cases, you may learn more from people who are currently <b>not</b> using your product.</li> </ul> The important point to remember is that you need to understand your customers and the market. Whether you have a physical product, or a web application, or a piece of computer software, you have customers and users, and you should be spending as much time with them as possible, especially early on. Great suggestions, Patrick. Sri, here’s a few other ideas that came to mind as far as how to find customers to meet with:

  • Ask your customers if they’d be interested in providing feedback. Put a form on your web site that they can fill out, providing their contact information.
  • Use the product / social network to find people to talk with. Assuming you’re using your own product, you can build networks and use that as an opportunity to find people interested in providing feedback.
  • Place an ad on Craigslist or a similar site, offering people the opportunity to provide feedback on a new product.
  • Ask friends of friends and friends of colleagues to put you in touch with users or potential users to give feedback. In some cases, you may learn more from people who are currently not using your product.

The important point to remember is that you need to understand your customers and the market. Whether you have a physical product, or a web application, or a piece of computer software, you have customers and users, and you should be spending as much time with them as possible, especially early on.

]]> By: Patrick Crisfulla http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3417 Patrick Crisfulla Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:06:24 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3417 Sri - There is probably ways to find your customer if you try hard enough, but you might also be able to sit in on customer-service calls, look at which words are typed into the help area of the website, and analyze exit paths on your site (where people give an leave is usually detectable in application logs). Sri – There is probably ways to find your customer if you try hard enough, but you might also be able to sit in on customer-service calls, look at which words are typed into the help area of the website, and analyze exit paths on your site (where people give an leave is usually detectable in application logs).

]]> By: sri vikas http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3206 sri vikas Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:50:03 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3206 jeff, i am slowing groomed to be a product manager in my new company. you could call me a product manager executive. you mentioned in your artcile that a product manager should go out and meet his customers. but what if the product is something like orkut or facebook and to top it, the product is a start-up. how then can i meet customers to enhance my product via product management tools? jeff,
i am slowing groomed to be a product manager in my new company. you could call me a product manager executive.
you mentioned in your artcile that a product manager should go out and meet his customers. but what if the product is something like orkut or facebook and to top it, the product is a start-up.
how then can i meet customers to enhance my product via product management tools?

]]> By: Derek Morrison http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3164 Derek Morrison Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:43:00 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3164 Product Management is probably one of the most difficult jobs to define. I’ve done the Product Management job in two different companies operating in two different markets and the difference in job function is quite different – even in the same company the PM job function was different depending on the product and the stakeholders the PM had to manage. One step in helping the PM become successful is to do a role network analysis. Read:<a href="http://allaboutproductmanagement.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-do-product-managers-do-what-is.html" rel="nofollow"> What do Product Managers do? What is expected of them? And how not to become overwhelmed? </a> and/or <a href="http://allaboutproductmanagement.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-your-leader-expects-of-you.html" rel="nofollow"> What Your Leader Expects of You</a> for more information Derek Product Management is probably one of the most difficult jobs to define.
I’ve done the Product Management job in two different companies operating in two different markets and the
difference in job function is quite different – even in the same company the PM job function was different
depending on the product and the stakeholders the PM had to manage. One step in helping the PM become successful
is to do a role network analysis.
Read:
What do Product Managers do? What is expected of them? And how not to become overwhelmed? and/or

What Your Leader Expects of You for more information
Derek

]]> By: Jeff Lash http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3152 Jeff Lash Sun, 28 Oct 2007 06:11:43 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3152 Chris -- I think the reasons you've outlined just add more support to the idea that you need to work at being a good product manager. As you mention, different companies (or even different areas within the same company) treat product management differently, and what worked in one situation may not work in another. I've talked with too many product managers who were basically just put in their position, not given any direction, and in some ways set up to fail because of the lack of training and development. There seems to be an expectation for product managers -- but for few other positions -- that you can just put someone in the role and they'll do fine, despite the fact that they've never done it before. Whether it's your first time as a product manager or you have years of experience, the important thing to remember is that you always need to keep learning. Lakshmi -- Thanks for the kind words. Keep reading this blog and I'm sure there will be more posts on product strategy and promotion in the future. Chris — I think the reasons you’ve outlined just add more support to the idea that you need to work at being a good product manager. As you mention, different companies (or even different areas within the same company) treat product management differently, and what worked in one situation may not work in another.

I’ve talked with too many product managers who were basically just put in their position, not given any direction, and in some ways set up to fail because of the lack of training and development. There seems to be an expectation for product managers — but for few other positions — that you can just put someone in the role and they’ll do fine, despite the fact that they’ve never done it before.

Whether it’s your first time as a product manager or you have years of experience, the important thing to remember is that you always need to keep learning.

Lakshmi — Thanks for the kind words. Keep reading this blog and I’m sure there will be more posts on product strategy and promotion in the future.

]]> By: Lakshmi Narayana http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3123 Lakshmi Narayana Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:32:44 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3123 Hi jeff lash, I am a product manager for an emerging consumer electronics company in india. Currently i am having major task to roll out an innovative product and manage. In this process i want to learn and follow best methods and processes to succeed in my assignment. I have gone thru your ten tips and it really helping me. Now, Can you share something on product strategy and product commercials. Regards Lakshmi Narayana Hi jeff lash,

I am a product manager for an emerging consumer electronics company in india. Currently i am having major task to roll out an innovative product and manage.

In this process i want to learn and follow best methods and processes to succeed in my assignment. I have gone thru your ten tips and it really helping me.

Now, Can you share something on product strategy and product commercials.

Regards
Lakshmi Narayana

]]> By: Chris Baum http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/comment-page-1/#comment-3106 Chris Baum Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:12:43 +0000 http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2007/10/25/good-product-managers-are-not-born-they-are-made/#comment-3106 Hi Jeff, I see what you're saying here, though I think you need to call out more that product management means vastly different things as you change companies. Companies have different customers, employees, talents, operations approaches, administrative structures, and so on. The PM needs to find the best way to navigate those waters. What worked in the last company (or even group within the same companies) may not work in the new one. Plus, the product manager (hopefully) makes sure that everything is running smoothly and picks up slack in the areas in need of attention. Finally, there are many times where the product manager just CANNOT pick up all of the slack. In these cases, s/he must try to get more resources or change direction to make due with what is out there. Many of the failures stem from such situations where management does not provide the resources or the ajustments are simply not made. In the end, PM is a mind reader, strategist, and a philosopher that just has to make things happen. There are far fewer "born" PMs than we need, so some new blood will need to learn the ropes and make it happen or we're in for a rough ride going forward. Hi Jeff,

I see what you’re saying here, though I think you need to call out more that product management means vastly different things as you change companies.

Companies have different customers, employees, talents, operations approaches, administrative structures, and so on. The PM needs to find the best way to navigate those waters. What worked in the last company (or even group within the same companies) may not work in the new one.

Plus, the product manager (hopefully) makes sure that everything is running smoothly and picks up slack in the areas in need of attention.

Finally, there are many times where the product manager just CANNOT pick up all of the slack. In these cases, s/he must try to get more resources or change direction to make due with what is out there. Many of the failures stem from such situations where management does not provide the resources or the ajustments are simply not made.

In the end, PM is a mind reader, strategist, and a philosopher that just has to make things happen. There are far fewer “born” PMs than we need, so some new blood will need to learn the ropes and make it happen or we’re in for a rough ride going forward.

]]>