Here is a quick round-up of 3 lessons I’ve learned over the last 10 years in product management.

You’re not the focal point. You’re the facilitator.

Many PMs make the mistake of being in every conversation. Don’t. You’re not a subject-matter expert. Let the teams discuss among themselves. Provide inputs where required. You’re to facilitate and move on… come back only when the team has come to a conclusion and want to inform you of the direction. You align and you leave.

Your reputation is worth more than your deliveries

I learnt this the hard way. I’ve delivered over 30 e-commerce websites & mobile apps. It doesn’t matter how many products you’ve delivered — it matters more that your reputation, as a reliable & predictable Product manager, is known throughout your organization.

Spend some time after every delivery/feature update. Make a quick single pager that you can:

a. Send to senior stakeholders.

b. Store in your phone for a quick display.

This will take you farther than just delivering products. Make some noise about your delivery. You’ll help yourself and your team.

Guilty until proven innocent

Simply put, just because you’ve come in with a history of delivery and great thought leadership, not everyone will fall in line with your thinking. You’ve to prove yourself — in meetings, in 1 on 1s and in general, be known.

This is true for new roles and veteran roles alike — you’ve to continuously prove value. Your reputation is what you control.

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