By Stacey Weber In the world of product management and product marketing, technical skills and knowledge are undoubtedly important. However, the true essence of success in these roles lies in the ability to build authentic connections with the people around you. No matter how well-versed you are in the responsibilities of product management or how deeply you understand the intricacies of product marketing, your efforts will fall short if you...

Over my twenty-five years working with businesses, and product management in particular, there are certain discussions that seem to be on an infinite loop. One of those is, “who owns strategy?” I group this along with, “who’s responsible for P&L?” and “who’s the one throat to choke?” There are a myriad of ways to approach ownership, and success can be achieved in many ways. Personally, I believe it takes a...

Feature requests are a constant companion of most product managers. It seems like no matter where you go, someone has an idea — AKA a feature request — for your product. Some people hail these feature requests, proclaiming them the silver bullet of product evolution. Other product professionals view these constant requests as the bane of their existence. Which is it? The answer lies in the beholder. How you handle...

By Stacey Weber A few weeks ago, we were on a roadtrip – heading home from Arizona to Wisconsin. It was already dark when we reached Colorado, driving north near the eastern border of the state on some highway that shall remain unnamed. It looked desolate, and then the music stopped as Pandora lost signal.  The minutes stretched to miles, and the conversation rambled the way it does in the...

You know you need a strategy; you’ve seen the magic that happens when everyone is rowing in the same direction. Creating that vision and direction seems so much harder when you’re at the helm; everyone wants the best plan, but oftentimes, their ideas and convictions don’t appear to mesh well. A strong strategy gives guidance for the future, without penning people into a set path. It lays out the vision...

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By Stacey Weber Uncertainty is the nature of product management. After all, we are constantly predicting what the market will buy and forecasting what products and features will delight our users. That uncertainty can be hard to handle, and you’re surrounded by people who aren’t afraid to be vocal about their beliefs and opinions. It can feel risky and stressful to make uncertain decisions, especially when the team seems ready...

By Stacey Weber The fictional product manager – we’ll call him Pete – starts work early one Monday, eager to find out how the team is progressing with requirements analysis, design, and (his real goal) scheduling. Pete knows that most of the team isn’t in the office yet – but he gets an email from engineer Ed and picks up the phone. Ed answers, also glad that someone else is...

By Stacey Weber One of the most difficult things about being a product manager is that you’re confronted with every failure, real or imagined. If development falls behind schedule, they’ll (hopefully) come to you with the information. When an executive makes a promise to a large customer, you’ll be the one expected to deliver. If Sales signs a contract for custom development, it’s your roadmap that might need to be...

By Stacey Weber Whenever I travel outside the U.S., I am struck by the number of people who speak multiple languages fluently. On one particular trip, I was in the Brussels airport. The ticket counter agent was speaking at least 4 languages – and she knew them so well that she could quickly switch between them. She’d get someone checked in using French, then turn around and answer a quick...