Neerja B.

5 Key Takeaways from The Art of Product Management by Rich Mironov As someone deeply involved in product management, I wanted to share my top learnings from this fantastic book which I just completed. Rich Mironov has brilliantly articulated the realities of the product manager’s world, and here’s what stood out for me: 1. Know Your Customers, But Also Your Stakeholders: Building products is not just about understanding customer needs but also managing internal stakeholders and aligning business goals. 2. Embrace Uncertainty: Product management isn’t always linear. Things will break, plans will change, and it’s OK! Flexibility and problem-solving are the PM’s best friends. 3. Balancing Long-Term Vision with Short-Term Wins: Always aim for long-term strategic goals, but don’t ignore the small, incremental gains that keep your users and teams motivated. 4. Communication is Key: The ability to clearly and concisely convey product vision and roadmaps to cross-functional teams is essential. PMs must be master communicators. 5. Empathy Over Ego: At the heart of great product management is empathy. Understanding your users, your team, and even your competitors, will lead to better decisions and a stronger product. If you’re serious about product management, this book is a goldmine! #ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategy #RichMironov #Tech #CareerGrowth #Learning

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Shobhit Chugh, a career coach for product managers, once wrote a great article about what he identified as the one amazing thing that product managers do. He started by asking readers what they thought the “amazing thing” might be. To keep them in suspense, he gave them some options, such as inspiring their teams, influencing others, and managing stakeholders. Then he said what I have always believed and always will: “It’s asking the question just right for the problem they are solving.” You have to work hard to get to that point, though. It doesn’t come naturally. As I've grown in my career, I've realized the power of curiosity and humility. When interviewing, I dig into real problems and team experiences. Rather than showcasing knowledge, a lot can be gained from uncovering underlying needs and problems. This approach fosters better solutions and stronger teams.

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During one of our chats, my mentor and friend Robert Lacis said - "Product Managers are like therapists" and this is the wildest analogy I have come across for PMs. But as he drew similarities between the two, it started to make sense. ▶ Asking questions: 👨‍⚕️ The therapist begins by asking questions such as "Why do you feel this way?" and "What triggered this emotion?" to help patients explore their feelings, outbursts, and anxiety and understand the underlying cause of the issue. 🤓 Product Managers ask the same questions to their customers like "Why do you need this solution?" or "What problem is it solving?" to get to the root cause of the pain points. ▶ Being empathetic: 👩‍⚕️ Therapists always listen to the patient's problems, show empathy, and try to gain the patient's perspective 👣 One of the virtues of a product manager is to have customer empathy and understand their issues by putting themselves in their shoes. ▶ Planning for the long haul: ✍ Therapists do not prescribe pills to temporarily solve the patient's issues. Instead, they help the patients address the root of the problem and guide them through it with exercises and routines. ⚒ Product Managers collaborate with customers to develop sustainable solutions that yield long-term results instead of applying quick fixes. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. #productmanager #therapist #empathy #customercentricity #pm #productmindset

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Lessons from My First Three Months as a Product Manager Onboarding Date: September 10, 2024 Company: Prime Startup Role: Product Manager & Discoveries A quarter-year into my product management journey, and wow—what a ride it’s been! From diving into Product Design and User Discovery to tackling Product Research, crafting PRDs, managing backlogs, and facilitating teamwork, every day has been an opportunity to grow and adapt. Projects I’ve Worked On SPLITA A revolutionary app that simplifies group travel planning. With tools for communication, itinerary building, budgeting, and expense sharing, it’s designed to take the hassle out of planning group trips like vacations, excursions, and tours. HOMELUXE https://lnkd.in/ecrdeNUV... : A comprehensive Real Estate Solutions Framework designed to address key challenges faced by homebuyers and renters. This was part of the Group 7 project for the Bectified November 2024 cohort, where I served as both the Product Manager and Presenter. Here are the lessons that have shaped me so far: 1. Collaboration Is Key Building relationships with senior PMs and teammates has been invaluable. Their advice, feedback, and mentorship are shortcuts to wisdom. (Pro Tip: Never hesitate to ask questions, even if they seem basic. Knowledge is cumulative!) 2. Explore Before You Specialize Early on, I felt the urge to niche down. But this is a phase for exploration. By working across diverse industries and projects, I’ve discovered what excites me most. 3. Volunteering Matters Experience is experience—whether it’s paid or unpaid. Volunteering has helped me refine my skills, expand my portfolio, and demonstrate my capabilities as a PM. It’s also a fulfilling way to give back! 4. Never Stop Learning Product Management is constantly evolving. I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge from books, online courses, podcasts, and even LinkedIn posts like this one! 5. Tackle Imposter Syndrome That nagging feeling of, “Am I cut out for this?” is normal. Instead of letting it paralyze me, I’ve reframed it as evidence of growth. 6. Balance Is Everything I’ve learned that burnout isn’t a badge of honor. Setting boundaries and prioritizing mental health has made me both happier and more productive. Points to Note User-Centric Design: Truly understanding users’ needs is the bedrock of great products. Adaptability: Each challenge has required me to adjust my approach and think creatively. Teamwork: The best outcomes arise from collaboration, not solo efforts. Continuous Improvement: There’s always room to grow, so I embrace feedback and stay curious. To Senior, Fellow, and potential PMs What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a Product Manager? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Kindly drop them in the comments below! Let’s connect, share, and grow together.

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This is an offbeat topic and may look counterintuitive. But I have seen in my 4 decades of experience many good products failed because of bad pricing. The primary reason is that "Pricing was seen as a result than an activity". However, if the designers plan the product costing upfront the product pricing is right in the market. Here is a small video that tells you what all aspects contribute to the product cost and how the product can be "Designed to Cost"

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To land Director to CPO jobs, Product Leaders must leverage Executive Search firms. They hold the keys to the hidden job market. Here is a lay of the land. Aakash Gupta and I wrote in depth about this in the Product Leadership Job Search and I followed up recently with the Tech Exec's Job Search Playbook. I recommend both reads. Comment if you want contacts or my thoughts on working with them as a candidate or hiring manager

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Product management is all about making the complex simple. Our brains naturally favor brevity, patterns, and meaningful contrasts—think of phrases like 'health is wealth' or 'retail is detail.' This insight is powerful in product management: clear communication, intuitive UX, and focused feature prioritization all benefit from simplicity. Whether it’s crafting concise messaging, designing seamless user experiences, or presenting to stakeholders, distilling key ideas into memorable and impactful statements leads to better outcomes. Less is truly more! #productmanagement #communication #leadership #ecommerce #lessismore #concise

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I received over 500+ inMails for the PM role I am hiring for, and 90% of the people are doing it wrong hurting their chances of being considered. Here is how to do it right: ❌ Generic title of inMail "Interested in Product manager role" ✅ "Pm with 5 years of experience in e-commerce, analytical, ex-IG." Customize the subject line. As a hiring manager, it’s exhausting to sift through hundreds of identical messages. Your subject line is your first chance to stand out. Don’t waste it—make it specific, compelling, and relevant. ❌ "I hope this message finds you well! I recently submitted my application for the Product Manager, Creator Content, and Shop position at LTK and wanted to express my enthusiasm for this opportunity. The role aligns perfectly with my background" ✅ "Hi, I would be a good fit because I DID: X Y Z mapping to what you are looking for". Don’t make me dig through your resume or LinkedIn to understand why you’re a fit. Communicating effectively and concisely is critical for PMs. If you can’t demonstrate that in your InMail, you’ve already lost me. ❌ "I have relevant experience based on my experience as a Product Manager, E-commerce and AI" but your Resume/Linkedin title says you are a content strategist or PMM in Healthcare ✅ If I click on your profile and it doesn’t match what you claim, I lose trust immediately. This job market is not open for aspirations or translatable skills, there is just too much talent out there. Make sure your branding—titles, experience, and skills—aligns with your pitch. ❌ "Are you open to a quick chat?" ✅ "If you see a fit I'd love to hear about the next steps. I have already applied and messaged X recruiter name"Half of the people who messaged me didn't apply to the job and most ask for my time but often times there is a screening call with Recruiters. Try to find recruiters at the company you are applying for, especially in startups there are not that many so show you can be proactive. ❌ Don't apply to roles you do not qualify for. Loving the creator economy doesn't make you suitable for the role. ✅ 1/3 of the inMails are from people with 0 product management experience, outside of the US or no visa, that do not meet the 3 requirements I asked for. Do not apply to aspirational jobs, you will get little to not ROI out of it. ❌Sending inMails that sound generic, made by ChatGPT is not going to yield the results you are looking for. ✅ If you are truly serious about job hunting in this market, quality applications beat quantity every time. Some applicants sent me a 1 min intro video of themselves, I watched them all. Some others sent a case study on LTK, I read them all. All of the candidates that went above and beyond got my time and I followed up with all of them. If this resonates, share this with anyone job hunting. Also if you are interested in applying I linked the job in the comments :) #inmail #jobhunting #jobapplication #linkedin

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In my current read, I've come across a powerful concept that resonates deeply with the challenges product managers often face. It emphasizes the impact of our intentions on our emotions, thoughts, and ultimately, our behavior. Imagine this: You're gearing up for a crucial stakeholder meeting about a new product proposal. Perhaps you're feeling hesitant, believing that certain team members won't fully support your vision. This mindset can inadvertently hinder open communication and mutual understanding. What if, instead, you set a positive intention? Picture yourself fostering an environment where every viewpoint is valued and understood. Your intention shifts from mere presentation to a collaborative exploration of ideas. This simple shift can transform dynamics within the meeting—from potential resistance to genuine partnership. Research underscores that our intentions shape how we perceive and interact with others. By consciously replacing doubts with intentions focused on empathy and collaboration, product managers can cultivate trust, broaden perspectives, and ultimately drive more impactful outcomes. #ProductManagement #Leadership #IntentionSetting #TeamCollaboration #PersonalDevelopment

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I read an article some years back that said that the best product managers spend all their time on the highest priority things that help their team. That still holds true today. Product management isn't about fancy titles or endless planning—it’s about trusting instincts, taking action, and getting things done. In product management, doing beats overthinking every time. Yes, coordination and communication are key. But it's not just talk—it’s about rallying the troops and keeping everyone laser-focused on what matters: building great products for users. And the best way to do that is to avoid being an idea dictator and to make sure the whole team feels ownership and contributes. Product managers facilitate, make decisions, and keep the momentum going. Sometimes that means grinding out meeting notes or specs. Other times, it's about wrangling stakeholders to clear roadblocks. The best product managers are willing to do what it takes to get products and solutions that deliver value and solve our customers’ problems. Then we measure, learn, roll up our sleeves, and get back to work. #JustGettoWork #UserFirst #ActionOverThinking #ProductLeadership #GetItDone

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Master Class 3. Shravan Tickoo hosted 2 world class Product Leaders, Alisa Haman and Claire Vo. Here are some key takeaways from this incredibly delightful session: 1. Keep your ego in check. Product Managers should avoid saying, "That's not my job." 2. Avoid getting caught up in doing things the right way and obsessing over details. This approach doesn't always guarantee quality but definitely delays shipment. 3. A job is a job! Be grateful for what you have and make the most of it while preparing for the job you want next. 4. A Product Manager (PM) is data-driven, numbers-focused, and a systematic thinker. 5. Often, shipping products faster is a better bet than focusing solely on quality. It was a great honor to learn from two inspirational product leaders. #Week3 of #productmanagement  ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Currently, I'm honing my skills under the guidance of Shravan Tickoo at Rethink Systems, and it's been a transformative journey! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mentor: Mayank Madaan and Sukanya Sinha.

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Ever wondered what goes into building a successful financial management app? This week I’m joining my fellow cohort members at Product Space in a thrilling teardown challenge. A product teardown is where we dissect an existing product to understand its features, design choices, and the logic behind them, and try to solve a real problem statement. And I’m diving deep into Spring Money to solve the challenge of Loan Assist optimisation for maximum user satisfaction. Here’s a sneak peek of my teardown approach so far! In this teardown, we’re focusing on few key aspects that make Spring Money stand out from the competition: 👉𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲: Spring Money features an intuitive loan aggregation platform that simplifies the process for users, even those with limited financial expertise. The design ensures easy navigation and understanding, facilitating a smoother loan application experience. 👉𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Spring Money uses smart technology to provide tailored loan recommendations based on each user's financial profile, increasing the relevance of offers and enhancing user satisfaction. Stay tuned to find out how I solve this problem and for the final teardown deck! #ProductDevelopment #ProductSpace #SpringMoney #UserResearch #FinancialManagement

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👨🏻‍💻 Excited to share my second post in the product management series! In this latest entry, I delve into the "10 Skills Every Product Manager Should Cultivate" to thrive in this dynamic role. From strategic thinking and crafting compelling product visions to mastering market research and embracing a customer-centric approach, the skills required to excel as a product manager are diverse and essential. I also discuss the importance of technical expertise, Agile methodologies, and data-driven decision-making—skills that empower product managers to make informed decisions and maintain the competitiveness of their products. Leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability are key to effective product management. These qualities enable influencing without authority, navigating complex challenges, and adapting to changing market conditions. Dive into the complete blog to explore each skill in detail and learn how to apply them to enhance your product management expertise Let's discuss the most crucial or challenging skills for a product manager in the comments below! #productmanagement #productstrategy #productvision

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🤔 A Product Manager's Dilemma 🤔 As PMs it’s crucial to balance listening to 'customer feedback' with 'visionary thinking'. While users can articulate their current needs—like wanting "faster horses"—it’s our job to 'dig deeper', identify underlying problems, and imagine innovative solutions that customers might not yet envision. ⭐True innovation often comes from challenging the status quo and looking beyond obvious improvements. #ProductManagement #Innovation #CustomerFeedback #VisionaryThinking #UserExperience #ProblemSolving #DesignThinking

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Struggling to break into product management or transition into different PM roles? After last week’s post, I received a lot of questions. This month’s FAQ answers some of the most common ones to help you navigate today’s competitive market. In this month’s FAQ, I cover: ✅ How to transition from enterprise to consumer PM roles ✅ How to compete with more experienced PMs ✅ The importance of learning AI (and why just taking courses isn’t enough) ✅ What work-life balance in tech really looks like ✅ Whether learning design is necessary for PMs Key takeaways: 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐌 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. It’s unlikely to happen in a single step. You need to work toward gaining relevant experience to bridge the gap. 2️⃣ 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Competing with someone who has more years of experience? The key is applying for roles where your experience is highly relevant, even if they have more years under their belt. 3️⃣ 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥. But companies are looking for actual experience, not just an understanding from online courses. 4️⃣ 𝐖𝐋𝐁 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. Work-life balance in tech varies greatly, but efficiency and time management can make a huge difference in improving it. 5️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬. As a PM, knowing enough about design to work well with your design team can improve your product sense and collaboration. 📨 Link to the full post and newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gxcg6mxt If this resonates with you, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 to help others who are navigating these same challenges. #productmanagement #productmanager #jobsearch #techcareers

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Are your Product Managers talking about 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? They should be. It's a simple concept: can you draw a direct link between your 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 and your 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴? After all, your Product Managers should be curating the vision of the product to meet customer need. Traceability is internal accountability to that need. If you can't trace your product's capabilities to the customer's need, then why did you make it? Traceability comes in several forms. There's "did we build the 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵?" which is answered through Verification testing - a role often covered by QA and Test Engineers. For Product Managers, there's the question of "did we build the 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?" which is answered through Validation testing. As owners of requirements and KPIs, your Product Managers should know exactly what "the right thing" looks like. There's an identified need, an intended environment, a qualified user, and a series of quantified performance indicators. "The right thing" satisfies them all - or at least those the stakeholders agreed to meet in the technology trade-off process. Validation testing should produce clear statements of product capability. What can the product do? How quickly? In what use cases? Is it repeatable? Is it intuitive? Traceability draws the link between those answers - the 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 - and what the customer asked for - the 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. If you can't trace your capabilities back to your requirements, then you owe your customers an explanation (and maybe your engineers an apology?) But traceability goes beyond just proving that your capabilities meet your needs. Sometimes the process identifies capabilities that don't trace back to a need. Does that mean you went "above and beyond"? Maybe. But it could also identify waste. Why is our product working twice as quickly as the customer expects? Are we worsening wear and shortening its lifespan for no reason? Did we create an engineering and support nightmare just to prove we could? Turning novel technology into a proven product is part of the joy of Product Management, but you need an 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 to create the product. And you need to be sure the product meets the requirements your customers expect. That's what traceability gets you. So - are your Product Managers talking about traceability? They should be.

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Here is my revised B2B product prioritisation rule of thumb -- SAT+ROI+ROE; SAT = "Seat at the table" (assumed capabilities in your category; you need to build bare minimum of them to have a seat at the table!); I have spoken about ROI+ROE in this tweet thread (https://lnkd.in/gDXWP_28) & in the problem/value article (https://lnkd.in/gMHbnHmt) #PM

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So, you want to be a Product Manager? That don’t impress me much— 🎶 (sorry, had to...) The dynamic field of product management has grown significantly over the years, encompassing both technical and non-technical roles across B2B and B2C sectors. Product Managers wear many hats, whether consumer-facing, account-focused, or internally driven: • Consumer-facing PMs are the champions of the end-user. They prioritize user stories, like designing smart features for washing machines to enhance cleaning performance while reducing moisture content. • Account-focused PMs build custom tools that help business thrive. They develop products such as social media analytics and CRM platforms customized for specific industries and their audiences. • Internal-facing PMs drive operational excellence by creating efficient systems. They focus on streamlining operations, creating systems like custom approval workflows to boost efficiency. Despite these distinctions, the six key qualities highlighted in this HBR article remain at the core of what makes a great product manager. Better yet, these skills are often transferable across industries and roles. And don’t forget—Product Management isn’t just for tech companies. PMs are just as vital in manufacturing, where logistics, supply chain management, and operations add new dimensions to the role. #ProductManagement #ProductManager #Innovation #CareerGrowth #Leadership #B2B #B2C #Tech #Manufacturing #PMSkills #Growth #HBRInsights #SupplyChain #Logistics #Technology #ProfessionalDevelopment

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