Google, Amazon Product leaders share lessons from their careers
Here are 7 hard lessons as a PM after working in 6 sectors. I hope this will be useful to aspiring/Junior PMs
Please tag or share with aspiring/Junior PMs so they can benefit from this
I have worked/consulted in 6 sectors:
Music
FMCG
Insurance
Agriculture
Fintech
Advertising
Some of these lessons were learned the hard way 😄
1. Customer first
2. Think big
3. Move fast
4. Ownership
5. Data>>> opinion
6. People >>>Product
7. Expectations vary across organizations
Let's deep dive.
1. Customer first:
Always start with the customer. You get great insights when you visit users where they use your product.
Step out of the office this week and meet with some of your customers. 😉
2. Think big:
Delivering huge impact requires stepping back and looking at the problem with a different lens.
Most times, optimizing existing features only drives incremental improvement.
3. Move fast:
Speed>>> perfection. Functionality>>> aesthetics.
Scope out an MVP containing the basic features and launch. You will learn so much with your product in the hand of real users.
No product is perfect. Amazon and WhatsApp apps hang once in a while.
4. Ownership:
PMs are roadblock removers. Projects could stall due to personal/professional reasons.
Once I had to follow up on team member salary arrears with the C-suite to keep the team motivated.
Do all in your power to help your team succeed!
5. Data>>> opinion:
Hippos exist.
You cannot win arguments with a Hippo by leveraging your opinion. Run a quick test, and use the data to make your case.
PS: Hippos stand for highest paid person's opinion
6. People >>>Product:
You need relationships to succeed as a PM. Earning your colleagues' trust makes your job easy.
If there is a decision between burning out your colleagues and extending a deadline, consult with the management to extend the deadline.
Team members who know you really care would do their best work for you.
7. PM Expectations vary across companies:
Companies have different expectations for PMs.
Some orgs. require brutal executors. Others require tactical PMs. Some require UX-first PMs.
Understand what your company/manager needs and adjust.
When you are ready, I can help you in three ways:
Give you 4 case studies I submitted to hiring managers that got me offers from different companies. (20+ people have purchased )
Give you free resources (worth at least 3500$) that helped me transition from customer success to Product Management (liked by 900+ people )
Give you a sample resume used by PMs to land a Microsoft offer. (liked by 2000+ people)
Bonus resources
5 lessons in product mgmt by Google product lead at product school
5 lessons in product mgmt by Twitch Snr PM at Productschool
10 lessons in PM by Amazon Head of Product at Productschool :
https://www.youtube.com/live/4BPUMsDdR0c
PS: What is your biggest lesson as a PM so far? Let me know in the comments