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In One Word, What Makes a Good Product Manager
A simple question was asked in our Alumni LinkedIn Group: "If you had to choose a single word to define a good product manager, what would it be?"
A
Accommodating
Accountable
Adaptable
Analytical
Awareness
B
Babysitter
Balanced
Believer
C
Calm
Cognizant
Collaborative
Communicator
Competitive
Compromise
Concise
Courage
Credibility
Cunning
Customer-oriented
Curiosity
D
Decision-maker
Determined
Diplomat
Disciplined
Diverse
Dogged
Driven
E
Empathetic
Energetic
Entrepreneur
Evangelist
Exhausted
F
Fact-based
Far-sighted
Flexible
G
Gumption
Guts
H
Hands-on
Humor
I
Influential
Informed
Innovative
Inquisitive
Insightful
Integrity
Irony
K
Know-how
Knowledgeable
L
Leader
Lighthouse
Listener
Logical
Lucky
M
Market-facing
Mindful
Multi-disciplined
Multi-tasker
N
Negotiator
O
Obsessive
Omniscient
Open-minded
Optimist
Organized
Orchestrator
Overworked
P
Passionate
Patient
Patterns
Perceptive
Perseverance
Persistent
Perspicacity
Persuasive
Placater
Positive
Pragmatic
Priorities
Problem-solver
Profitable
Q
Questions
R
Realistic
Relatable
Relationships
Resilient
Resourceful
Respected
Responsive
Results
Revolutionary
S
Scrappy
Seer
Smart
Strategic
T
Tenacious
Thorough
U
Unappreciated
Understanding
Under-paid
Under-valued
V
Versatile
Vision
W
Wise
Wonderous
Workaholic
X
Xtraordinary
Y
Yeoman
Z
Zealous
Product Manager in one word
Posted by
Rick
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Credibility... and if you can fake that, you have it made!
with apologies to Groucho Marx for the concept (I think)
with apologies to Groucho Marx for the concept (I think)
rounding out the alphabet
Posted by
J.R.
at
2010-09-29 06:12 PM
W - Wondrous
X - Xtraordinary (supported by Creative & Resourceful)
Y - Yeoman
Z - Zealous
X - Xtraordinary (supported by Creative & Resourceful)
Y - Yeoman
Z - Zealous
What makes a good PM?
Posted by
Tracy Romine
at
2010-09-29 06:12 PM
I couldn't help but to notice 'Profitable' was missing from your list!
What Makes a Good Product Manager
Posted by
Mark Isbitts
at
2010-09-29 06:19 PM
I'd go with "Market Facing" because there are too many technology companies that have the mentality of "if we build it, they will come" instead of "if they come, we'll build it". PMs need to be the voice of the market (not just a customer) to ensure that you're building the right things, in the right way, at the right time at the right price. THe only way to do this is to be market facing.
What makes a good product manager
Posted by
Jeff Burr
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
I agree with your perception, but they also need to be the Voice of the Shareholder and the Voice of Technology/Process, along with the Voice of the Market and the Voice of the Customer. All of these combined.
and a few more...
Posted by
spence
at
2010-09-29 06:49 PM
I'd go with:
Driven
Obsessive
Persuasive
Workaholic
Driven
Obsessive
Persuasive
Workaholic
"If you had to choose a single word to define a good product manager, what would it be?"
Posted by
Kevin Hutto
at
2010-09-29 06:53 PM
Determination
PM in a word
Posted by
Dorai Thodla
at
2010-09-29 07:11 PM
A word is too short so I will list the attributes:
1. Passionate (about the product and the difference it can make to the world)
2. Pragmatic (about what can be really achieved and building a Minimum Viable Product or extension)
3. Balanced (between what the market requires and what can be delivered in quality)
4. Curious (to know how he/she can continuously increase the value for customers)
5. Perseveres ( in face of trouble to provide value)
6. Resourceful ( in finding the simplest path to meet the needs of both customers and the team)
7. Open-minded ( receptive to ideas from both the team and market on what needs to be provided for customers)
Dorai
1. Passionate (about the product and the difference it can make to the world)
2. Pragmatic (about what can be really achieved and building a Minimum Viable Product or extension)
3. Balanced (between what the market requires and what can be delivered in quality)
4. Curious (to know how he/she can continuously increase the value for customers)
5. Perseveres ( in face of trouble to provide value)
6. Resourceful ( in finding the simplest path to meet the needs of both customers and the team)
7. Open-minded ( receptive to ideas from both the team and market on what needs to be provided for customers)
Dorai
a few more that should describe a prod mgr
Posted by
robert
at
2010-09-29 07:47 PM
Responsive
Disciplined
Hands-on
Disciplined
Hands-on
Organized
Posted by
Amber
at
2010-09-29 11:56 PM
The one word that gets me through everyday is "organized"
one word
Posted by
Nikki
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Under-valued made me laugh as it is true in so many ways....
Respected is oen I would add to the list
Respected is oen I would add to the list
I'd add...
Posted by
HakanKilic
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Persuasive
We're always trying to convince someone of something. Using market facts and market problems of course make it easier, but we still have to be great negotiators.
We're always trying to convince someone of something. Using market facts and market problems of course make it easier, but we still have to be great negotiators.
In One Word, What Makes a Good Product Manager
Posted by
Sharon Rosano
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Organized!
What Makes a Good Product Manager
Posted by
George Tzinas
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Flexible is the first word that comes to mind.
Far-sighted
Posted by
Markus Miklas
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
must think beyond product. A good product manager takes the entire value chain into account, i.e. thinks about development, production, sales, marketing, customers, market(s), trends, etc.
Product Manager in a Word
Posted by
Mike Shirk
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
To me the word is "Entrepreneur." I think a good PM is someone who thinks of themself as running a business.
Product Manager in one word
Posted by
Daniel Schmidt
at
2010-09-30 10:02 AM
Organized, orchestrating, customer-oriented.
In one word what makes a good product manager?
Posted by
Jay Wohlken
at
2010-09-30 11:17 AM
Leader and Decision-making seem like two crucial ones to describe the role.
In one word - what makes a good product manager
Posted by
Tony Harrison
at
2010-09-30 06:36 PM
From conception to delivery of product to market and beyond, I believe a Product Manager must be "WISE" in all things. His/her role is so multifaceted that there are a multitude of characteristics that are truly needed for a Product Manager to succeed
More Suggestions
Posted by
Andrew
at
2010-09-30 11:37 PM
Renaissance-man
Resilient
Omniscient
Seer
Google
Resilient
Omniscient
Seer
Adjectives
Posted by
The Cranky Product Manager
at
2010-09-30 11:37 PM
OK, The Cranky Product Manager is here to throw cold water on the proceedings:
babysitter
placater
The Only Sane One
realistic
herder-of-cats
underpaid
overworked
unappreciated
occasional bitch
cranky
babysitter
placater
The Only Sane One
realistic
herder-of-cats
underpaid
overworked
unappreciated
occasional bitch
cranky
I would add humour
Posted by
Michel
at
2010-10-01 03:40 PM
Humour
I love you Cranky Product Manager; your buckets of cold insight from the real world give me hope. I have observed that many good product managers exhibit a strong sense of humour. Humour often contains an unexpected and quick shift in perspective. May we have a strong enough sense of humour to recognize that we are often one of the blind men in the Blind Men and the Elephant fable.
I love you Cranky Product Manager; your buckets of cold insight from the real world give me hope. I have observed that many good product managers exhibit a strong sense of humour. Humour often contains an unexpected and quick shift in perspective. May we have a strong enough sense of humour to recognize that we are often one of the blind men in the Blind Men and the Elephant fable.
The Glass is Half Full
Posted by
G. Gillen
at
2010-10-03 03:48 PM
Optimist or Positive.
When the sh*t hits the fan (and it always does) you need to be the one to keep your head on straight and make sure everyone gets the job done. If you don't feel that way about your product or where you work, you need to fine another job.
When the sh*t hits the fan (and it always does) you need to be the one to keep your head on straight and make sure everyone gets the job done. If you don't feel that way about your product or where you work, you need to fine another job.
One-Word description of Product Manager
Posted by
KHALED H. AKKOUB
at
2010-10-03 03:48 PM
Balanced. It combines many things and reflect the many hats a Product Manager can wear, day in and day out.
One-word description that I haven't seen, but fits:
Posted by
John F
at
2010-10-06 11:37 AM
Believer. First you must beleive in what you are doing, who you are, what the mission is, and in your product. Then you must act.
Diplomacy and product management go hand-in-hand
Posted by
Tammy Young
at
2010-10-07 11:54 AM
Diplomat. If you can't broker the peace between the needs of the business and the needs of the consumer, you're sunk.
Depressed
Posted by
eppy
at
2010-10-13 01:39 PM
Well, that does it. I am depressed. There is absolutely no way I can get all of these attributes before I retire at 75. Looks like Walmart greeter is a lot sooner in my future than I originally thought.
One word -- from a couple of years back
Posted by
Saeed Khan
at
2010-10-19 04:49 PM
I asked people the same question a couple of years ago. Here are some of the words.
Focus, Visionary, Strategist, Translation, Leader, Definition, Flexible.....
You can read the rest here:
http://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/25/and-the-one-word-for-product-management-is/
Focus, Visionary, Strategist, Translation, Leader, Definition, Flexible.....
You can read the rest here:
http://onproductmanagement.net/2008/06/25/and-the-one-word-for-product-management-is/
Multi-tasker is the best
Posted by
Masoud Sadeghpour
at
2010-10-27 12:56 PM
I think the best word for this role is Multi-tasker. I also prefer these : Awareness,Communicator, Decision-maker,Energetic ,Integrity, Knowledgeable, Patient and Perceptive.
In One Word, What Makes a Good Product Manager
Posted by
Peddi Reddy Indukuri
at
2010-11-16 12:14 PM
I don't think any one of above words can indicate what makes a good product manager.
After all, product management is a multi-disciplined role and a product manager requires a variety of skills or traits that makes him/her a good product manager.
In my view, the following words together makes a good product manager
Adaptable - to changing market/customer demands
Awareness - constantly aware of the competition and customer needs
Multi-disciplined - proficient/smart in dealing with cross-functional teams - engineering, 3rd party vendors, sales, marketing, operations and customer support.
Vision/Strategic -should be forward thinking
Realistic - be realistic on the team/company competence/position to deliver the product
Obsessive - think nothing but the product he/she manages
Peddi Indukuri
After all, product management is a multi-disciplined role and a product manager requires a variety of skills or traits that makes him/her a good product manager.
In my view, the following words together makes a good product manager
Adaptable - to changing market/customer demands
Awareness - constantly aware of the competition and customer needs
Multi-disciplined - proficient/smart in dealing with cross-functional teams - engineering, 3rd party vendors, sales, marketing, operations and customer support.
Vision/Strategic -should be forward thinking
Realistic - be realistic on the team/company competence/position to deliver the product
Obsessive - think nothing but the product he/she manages
Peddi Indukuri
Product Manager in one word
"CREDIBILITY"