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Having done 'Product' for a long time now I think the term is ripe for a reboot. I personally don't look for Product Managers but Business Managers. Differenc

Having done 'Product' for a long time now I think the term is ripe for a reboot. I personally don't look for Product Managers but Business Managers. Difference? All the traits discussed here plus an understanding that your responsible for delivering products that need to generate $. It may sound obvious but I have seen many PMs who are obsessed about crafting beautiful applications when sometimes a cheaper and dirty approach is what is called for to win the business. This requires deep commercial awareness and an understanding of client incentives along with ability to properly cost up your business to form an opinion on the profitability of each client.

redler 6y ago
Depending on the size of the company in question, introducing actual P&L responsibility makes your description sound more like a VP of Product, or, in role terms, a "product owner", whatever the specific title. But certainly team members should be able to understand the connection between their activities and the creation of value.
- dpeck 6y ago
  "product owner" tends to be either the lowest rung on the product ladder, or the next to the lowest just above "product analyst" anywhere that I've been. I've never heard of anyone with that title having P&L.
  - redler 6y ago
    For sure it's hard to compare titles across companies. But P&L would be a pretty hard line at most places, above which are people whose primary responsibility is to financial results, the C-suite, the board, etc. In places you've been, are people in these positions seen as, generally, "product team leaders" or as "people upstairs"?
ftio 6y ago
BINGO. Came here to write something like this — frankly surprised (and pleased) to find your comment. Thank you! A PM’s job numero uno is to MAKE THE BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL, ideally by maximizing the intersection between customer/user needs (solving a problem), business goals, and their team’s/company’s capabilities. Sometimes, though, these three facets are at odds and one needs to prioritize one over the others. The best PMs bring experience, empathy, and data to bear to figure out which one to optimize for, when.
- iamsungminpark 6y ago
  completely agree with this. I hear "data-driven" a lot but most people don't seem to mention impact on P&L data..

redler 6y ago

Depending on the size of the company in question, introducing actual P&L responsibility makes your description sound more like a VP of Product, or, in role terms, a "product owner", whatever the specific title. But certainly team members should be able to understand the connection between their activities and the creation of value.

dpeck 6y ago
"product owner" tends to be either the lowest rung on the product ladder, or the next to the lowest just above "product analyst" anywhere that I've been. I've never heard of anyone with that title having P&L.
- redler 6y ago
  For sure it's hard to compare titles across companies. But P&L would be a pretty hard line at most places, above which are people whose primary responsibility is to financial results, the C-suite, the board, etc. In places you've been, are people in these positions seen as, generally, "product team leaders" or as "people upstairs"?

ftio 6y ago

BINGO. Came here to write something like this — frankly surprised (and pleased) to find your comment. Thank you! A PM’s job numero uno is to MAKE THE BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL, ideally by maximizing the intersection between customer/user needs (solving a problem), business goals, and their team’s/company’s capabilities. Sometimes, though, these three facets are at odds and one needs to prioritize one over the others. The best PMs bring experience, empathy, and data to bear to figure out which one to optimize for, when.

iamsungminpark 6y ago
completely agree with this. I hear "data-driven" a lot but most people don't seem to mention impact on P&L data..