Product Manager Truth Number 6 of 7: Product Managers Need To Have Thick Skin

Being a product manager means wearing multiple hats 🎩 and navigating a dynamic landscape. Inevitably, PMs will encounter situations that test them. This is where owning a product set comes into play and when things get bumpy. ➡ They need to absorb criticism constructively, manage pressure effectively, and leverage the empathy, experience, curiosity, knowledge, and flexibility they’ve honed throughout their journey. ⬅

As a product manager, I’ve encountered various challenges firsthand:

🔸 Slumping Sales: The sales team might seek your guidance (or sometimes point fingers) when numbers dip.
🔸 Unhappy Customers: You’ll need to actively listen, empathize, and address their concerns, even if the brunt of their frustration falls on you.
🔸 Delayed Releases: Meeting deadlines can be a constant battle, requiring agility and constant communication.
🔸 Internal Disagreements: Reconciling objections from engineering, operations, or other departments is part of the territory.
🔸 Competing Priorities: Juggling diverse demands, both internal and external, is a constant balancing act.
🔸 Analyst Relations: Collaborating with analysts to secure your rightful place on reports can be a strategic dance.
🔸 Restructuring Blues: Company changes can add to your workload or even jeopardize your projects.
🔸 Team Friction: Internal disagreements are inevitable, requiring effective conflict resolution skills.
🔸 Service Outages: Responding to unexpected downtime demands quick action and clear communication.
🔸 Metrics Pressure: Delivering on key metrics can create its own unique challenges.
🔸 Public Speaking: Effectively communicating your vision and product direction to various audiences is crucial.
🔸 Work-Life Balance: Maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life is essential for long-term success.

This list, while extensive, is just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is much of a product manager’s “work-life” is outside their direct control. However, exceptional product managers 🚫 don’t shy away from the chaos. They develop a thick skin, filter out unproductive noise, and focus on the valuable, actionable feedback that fuels their product’s growth. 📶