Few roles in B2B and technology organizations carry loftier expectations or face more challenging tasks than that of the Product Manager.  This position tends to be backed by a job description with responsibilities that makes many executive roles look tame by comparison. 

The right person in this important role can mean the difference between wild success and mediocre performance for the business.  And while organizations commonly under-staff (both in number and in power/experience) and over-describe (expectations are excessive), it is a thing of beauty when you latch onto a professional Product Manager that understands how to build value through this role.  This super-employee operating in this tough role consistently gets my vote for MVP.

A few of the more mundane responsibilities I’ve collected from various Product Manager job descriptions include:

  • Asses market direction and customer needs and translate these
    needs into requirements for offerings that will ensure the
    organization’s market leadership, growth and profitability.
    (Translation: who needs a CEO?)
  • Coordinate across all functions to ensure timely delivery of new
    offerings and organizational preparedness for launch.  (Translation:
    must be competent at herding cats!)
  • Serve as the external spokesperson and champion for assigned
    products and through speaking, writing and promotional activities,
    position selfas thought-leader in target markets.   (Translation: after
    doing the CEOs job and herding cats, must put on regular, impassioned
    Oscar-winning performances without a script.)

I left out the additional six or seven bullets that roughly translate to "must act mild-mannered while functioning as superhero.  Allergies to kryptonite not allowed."  Clearly, the Product Manager has a big job and an ability to directly impact the fortunes of a business. 

A note on the dichotomy between Product Management and Product Marketing

Many organizations (especially in technology) have bifurcated the traditional role of the Product Manager into two distinct jobs: Product Manager (internal-development and requirements orientation) and Product Marketer (external, pricing, promotion and positioning oriented).  Like any attempt at organizational structure, there are benefits and disadvantages to this approach-I will tackle this thorny issue another day.  For the purposes of this posting, I am viewing the role traditionally and holistically.

The Impact of Super-Successful Product Managers:

The Super Product Manager is rare.  In over twenty-years of leading PM teams, I’ve worked with exactly a handful.  And while I’ve been graced with the contributions of dozens of outstanding professionals, this small group of professionals stand head and shoulders above the rest for their ability to tangibly make a difference in their businesses. 

In one noteworthy  case, this cantankerous individual had a remarkable ability to understand the business of our clients and translate this understanding into feature requirements that when implemented, earned rave reviews for cost savings from speed and efficiency improvements.  We grew the business on the back and brain of this gifted individual.

In another example, this person truly was impervious to kryptonite.  The individual’s gifts were (are) multi-faceted.  A unique and detailed understanding of our offerings, a remarkable sense of vision on where the market was moving and a tireless commitment to internal education and persuasion.  It helped that this individual was/is a complete, well-rounded business person as well.   

In both cases, the individuals described above were grossly under-appreciated.  Success in their role required a level of aggressiveness and a never-say-die attitude that rubbed some the wrong way.  They were irrationally called on the carpet for organizational failures and often under-appreciated by their own team members for a variety of reasons.  Nonetheless, they both lived up to the lofty expectations inherent in the job description bullets above and at the end of the day, their fingerprints were all over our success.  I would gladly deal with the challenges of leading and supporting these Superstar Product Managers and so should you.  It is with individuals such as these two in mind, that I’ve developed my own list of attributes that make-up my view of the best Product Managers.

The Attributes of Great Product Managers:

  • An understanding of their offerings developed from two perspectives: creation and use.  Most Product Managers bring one or the other-they come from a technical capacity in engineering/development (the majority) or they have client-side experience (the minority).  I want both and they are darned hard to find.  Most often, you have to create this well-rounded person.
  • A bedside manner (interpersonal) that is calm, confident and politely assertive.  Product Managers have the single most challenging diplomatic job in an organization.  Of all others, they must be successful at getting teams and individuals to follow their direction in a coordinated manner.  People will follow this true leader if he/she commands respect and has credibility in their eyes.  The first bullet above earns credibility and the communication style and ability to logically and emotionally persuade commands respect.
  • The mind of a strategist balanced with the results-orientation of a COO. Again, it is easier to find someone that is a good strategist and someone that is execution-focused than it is to find someone that is both. The best Product Managers are true strategists constantly thinking about the market forces driving their clients and competitors and working on identifying ways to monetize those forces.  They are also hell-bent on getting products to market in an effective and timely manner.  These individuals propel organizations forward with their vision and their drive.
  • A savvy perspective on positioning and promotion.  One of the laments of many Marcom teams is the inability of Product Managers to articulate the value proposition for their offerings as well as to serve as an effective spokesperson with industry influencers.  The best Product Managers relish the opportunity to talk about their offerings, yet they have a keen sense of describing the value proposition and making the message tangible and meaningful. In contrast, many/most Product Managers suffer from a bad case of "blah, blah, blah." 

The Bottom-Line:

The best in any profession are a wonder to observe as they apply their skills to solving problems and creating value for their organizations.  The right Product Manager can literally propel an organization to success, yet organizations often grossly misfire in their selection and development of people in this critical role.  In an organization where "products" are the life-blood of growth, it is up to the firm’s leadership to recognize the value from this role and to develop a rigorous approach to identifying and developing these gifted professionals.  In an era where the battle for brains determines a businesses success or failure, it is imperative that firms recognize the critical role and contribution of the Product Manager.