Tips for Developing as a Product Manager

Did you know that only about 25% of product managers say that their company supports and values self progression? This means that 75% of product managers aren’t receiving the optimal level of support when it comes to personal and professional development.

So what does this mean for you? You have to take professional development into your own hands!

Now, I work with a lot of busy product leaders and managers, so I have a feeling I know what you’re going to say next. “I’d love to work on my professional development, but I just don’t have the time.” Did I get it right?

If this sounds like you, I highly recommend you take 20 minutes to watch a recent talk I gave on this topic, “Developing as a Product Management Personality.” Or, if you’re so busy that you can’t spare 20 minutes, take 5 minutes to read the transcript of the talk. Or, if you’re so busy that you don’t have 5 minutes, take 30 seconds to look at the graphic that illustrates my key points from the talk. Ha! You can’t argue with that, now can you?

Special thanks to Anja Riese for creating this great sketch of my talk!

You’ll pick up a few simple steps you can take to start prioritizing your own professional development. I share a few key tools that help guide self-reflection and coaching conversations with the product managers you oversee, like the PMwheel and the Future Self template.

So go ahead and spend a few moments on professional development today. Your future self will thank you!