The best tips for starting a new product management role
Following 2 very different approaches
This week at my work there was a bit of discussion around the LinkedIn post from Lenny on how to make an impact in your first 90 days as a Product Manager.
While I'm a big Lenny fan (love the podcast and the newsletter) I do think these are more a prompt to think outside the box and conversation starters, than a practical guide. I also think they don’t necessarily apply to a range of different business models. Not everyone has one core digital product like a start-up.
For me personally, what I have found most useful is having a personal product management playbook that is more aligned with the top level titles of each of the columns (in the illustration in Lenny’s post), and then building out a set of actions from those principles. One of the columns here is "Improve how people work", which is the equivalent in my personal playbook to "Making work better is the work". Rather than attempting though to document how the whole business works (14), I have a separate category on curating information and product specific documentation. So I would suggest using the top categories as guides for thinking about areas to work on in the first 90 days.
The flip side of the coin is this straight talking video from Shreya Doshi on what to focus on in the first 30 days of a new role (language alert unless you are Australian then it’s BAU). He’s opposed to Product Managers doing random s**** in their first 30 days and sets out a more measured approach.
In terms of practical guides for the first 90 days, my top recommended articles are:
How to Write a Product Strategy in 1 Day / 1 Week / 1 Month (aakashg.com)
Your First 90 Days in Product Management: A Step-by-Step Plan with Template (prodcamp.com)
Bonus deep dive:
These might be less flashy techniques but they will help you establish great foundations and set yourself up for success over the long haul.
What do you think does slow and steady win the race, or is it all about quick wins and creating a dramatic first impression?