{"id":83576,"date":"2025-02-04T15:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T15:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/?p=83576"},"modified":"2025-02-07T12:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T12:44:21","slug":"what-makes-a-good-product-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-good-product-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a Good Product Manager?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What makes a good Product Manager? I see this question a lot: It pops up on online forums, at events, in webinar talks<\/a>, and even in casual conversations in person. PMs are eager – sometimes desperate – to understand what needs to be done to perform at the highest caliber of the industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems a simple question in principle, but when you dig deeper, this whole conversation becomes a bit more philosophical. Sure, I can (and will) rattle off some essential skills and characteristics that make for a strong Product Manager, but I think this question is looking for a lot more than this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a PM asks, what makes a good Product Manager, they\u2019re also asking, \u2018How am I judged as a Product Manager?\u2019 \u2018What does success look like as a Product Manager?\u2019 \u2018What actually are my main goals as a Product Manager?\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, there is a lot to unpack. So let\u2019s do it. What do you need to do to be great? What makes a good Product Manager? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to be a good Product Manager?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be good, you first need to define what good looks like. You\u2019d think that would be easy, but it\u2019s not. Being considered good is an assessment. A measurement. So what are you getting measured up against? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, the biggest barometer of how good you are as a Product Manager is how well you facilitate the main goal of Product Management. But what is the overarching goal of the role? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the core, single priority for Product Managers that every task and responsibility can be distilled down to?  Well, I think it\u2019s something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n

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The end goal of Product Management is to connect customer needs with the desired business outcomes through Product Development. It\u2019s about discovering what the customer needs and what the business needs and making sure the right products and services are delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This goal is universal. it should be the same for every single Product Manager, regardless of industry or company size, but how you achieve this goal is where things start to change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The context often influences execution. A Product Manager in one industry will need to do different things than another somewhere else, even though they\u2019re chasing the same goal. What defines “good” in one environment might not translate to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could have endless expertise leading startups through their first years and getting them to $1M MRR. But pluck you out of that small pond and into an enterprise business, and things might look different, you may struggle. Because the goalpost has moved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would that make you a bad Product Manager? To that enterprise company – maybe – but a startup that\u2019s looking to get off the ground may come across your Product Manager portfolio<\/a> and see you as an angel sent from heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019m saying here is that good can look like many different things. Sure, every PM has the main aim of connecting customer needs with business goals, but there are many different ways to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does it mean to be a good Product Manager? That depends on where you\u2019re standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Environment<\/strong><\/th>What a ‘Good’ Product Manager Looks Like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Startup<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\u2022 Rapid iteration & experimentation \ud83d\ude80
\u2022 Deep customer empathy & direct feedback loops \ud83d\udc42
\u2022 Prioritization ruthlessly focused on product-market fit \ud83c\udfaf<\/td><\/tr>
Enterprise<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\u2022 Strong stakeholder management & alignment across departments \ud83c\udfe2
\u2022 Clear, structured roadmaps with long-term vision \ud83d\udd2d
\u2022 Navigating bureaucracy while still driving innovation \ud83d\udea6<\/td><\/tr>
B2B<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\u2022 Deep understanding of customer workflows & pain points \ud83d\udd0d
\u2022 Strong relationships with key accounts & sales teams \ud83e\udd1d
\u2022 Emphasis on integrations, reliability, and long-term ROI \ud83d\udcb0<\/td><\/tr>
B2C<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\u2022 Strong focus on user experience & delight \ud83d\ude0d
\u2022 Rapid A\/B testing & growth experimentation \ud83d\udcc8
\u2022 Data-driven decision-making & behavioral insights \ud83d\udcca<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What skills make a good Product Manager?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked what makes a good Product Manager, most will recite a list of the hot skills they think you need to fulfill the Product Manager role. Prioritization, communication, stakeholder management, blah, blah, blah<\/em>. Yes, knowing the skills you need to tune up is a big part of being a good Product Manager, but it\u2019s only half the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t just hit the books in an endeavor to be the best. It\u2019s easy to get stuck in learning mode, diving into the theory, and taking Product Management courses<\/a> instead of going out there and getting the experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, here\u2019s the thing. It\u2019s the doing that\u2019s important. The miles in the tank matter more than any framework you can memorize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, don\u2019t worry too much if you don\u2019t think you have all the answers. The best plan of action isn\u2019t to wait until you have all the skills you need. You need to just get out there and learn as you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we\u2019re not dismissing the need for honing your Product Management skills<\/a> altogether. They do matter, so much so that we have covered them a lot here at ProdPad. If you want a full rundown, check out The Product Manager Career Path is Not a Straight Line<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not going to leave you empty-handed here. Here\u2019s a quick overview of the skills you need to excel as a Product Manager: <\/p>\n\n\n\n