How do you build a high performing product management team?

How do you build a high performing product management team?

One can pick up a best selling leadership book and identity the key attributes that results in high performing teams. I don’t need to outline the same in this blog. Instead, I'll focus on what hiring managers need to work on to form a "PM team of highly motivated individuals".  Have categorized this process in three parts :

Part I - Hiring the right people

This is no different then defining the right  product. Recall in , the difference between building the product right vs building the right product in my earlier blog . So, first and foremost ...you need to "find the right PM " for your team.  I had written a blog earlier that focusses on key qualities of a product managers .  These qualities are essential for the PM job.  Quote from Mary Kay Ash helps illustrate the kind of PM you need to hire. She stated that there are four kinds of people :

Those who make things happen

Those who watch things happen

Those who wonder what happened

Those who don’t know that anything happened!

Product Managers ought to make things happen .  They need to be really really smart and also have crazy passion not just for the technology/ product  but also the  company and its core values/culture.  Believe me this translates into the product definition.  You will find many examples of vendors who have PMs who believe in this mantra - Why do services from Google look and feel and act the same way...even the acquisitions. 

Louis V. Gerstner was once asked what do you want people to do.  He answered…

Hire ‘Action’ oriented employees. –  “Win, execute and team.”

• “WIN:    It was vital that all the IBMers understand that business is a competitive activity. In the new IBM there would be no place for anyone who lacked zeal for the contest.”

• “EXECUTE:         No more studying things to death. In the new IBM, successful people would commit to getting things done – fast and effectively.”

• “TEAM: This was a commitment to acting as one IBM, plain and simple.”

Part II - Forming the team of product managers

Once you have the right people you need to start working on the next thing - forming a team. I'm not going to suggest any team building exercises here.  I'm assuming that you have already tested the individual to see if he is a team player and can fit into your company culture. So, what’s next...

Next step is focused on making sure the individuals understand that "marketplace is the driving force behind the company and the products".  As a manager you need to establish a training program that could be anywhere between 8-12 weeks and is focused on helping the PM understand the :

Training program : 8-12 weeks

Focus	Purpose
Market Analysis Competitive Analysis Customer Analysis	Understand the dynamics of the industry/customers/ competitors
Understand Product / Technology	Conduct a mini POC on their own or join the pre sales team for a deep dive POC. PMs need to know every single aspect of the product and also the sales cycle (technical + business conversations)
Customer Visits	Understand end users/ industry/ product usage
Economics of the product	Understand the P&L model of the product, financial performance, trends etc.

I cannot emphasize how important it is for the PM to visit a few key customers/partners who use the product but also install , configure your own products  or conduct a real POC.  Prior to starting in the job , product managers should go through a very through understanding of these areas. As a hiring manager you need to facilitate and oversee this program with real deliverables  at the end of the program.

Part III - Managing the team

Managers have their own preferences for managing the team.  Styles vary from complete control to total autonomy.  However, for product management roles I have a slightly skewed perspective. There is only one product manager for every product (usually). Having a right person for this job is crucial else you waste costly cycles, loose customers and create unnecessary stress within the cross functional team. If you have a wrong person for this job then you need to correct the situation asap.  You cannot micro manage in this position and if you do so then you don’t have the right person for this job.

Louis Gerstener once said...i manage by principle , not procedure.  I'd recommend to hiring managers to establish a set of guiding principles for the team.  Key principles in my opinion are :

• Need to setup up intense and demanding goals - PM's job is not for everyone.  PMs need to be challenged with demanding goals

• Measure performance based on talent, hard work and accomplishments - you have to measure success with real metrics.

• Invite Debates

• Can do attitude - Folks need to make things happen and not watch and debate things happening  (Louis G)

• Accountability

• Fearless about disrupting the status quo  - Should be willing to speak openly and honestly

• Drive experimentation

Once you find the right person, establish the principles you need to step out. Micromanaging the PM does not help at all. This is an important job where you need to give autonomy to the individual for him/her to be successful . 

Qualities of a Product Manager

This question comes up every time during the product management interview process….potential employee and the hiring manager both are looking for common qualities that defines the product manager.  It's not possible to cover a large spectrum of capabilities that a product manager should have in this blog.  Being said, I have highlighted a quick summary of key qualities that product manager should have :

Technology & Product Passion -  You should love technology and the products.  You live, eat, breath the products and the underlying technology. This passion is what drives you and is contagious which helps rally the team behind you.  Check out Steve Job's commencement speech on passion at the Stanford University in 2005.

Strong Work Ethic - This is a demanding job.  There are no working hours or holidays or vacations .  The job is not meant for someone who is afraid of hard work.  It's no different then running your own company ...you put everything you have for the success of the product line .

Intelligent-  This is a key  role.  A lot depends on the PM and the decisions you take.  PM must have a very strong  technical and business skill set.  There is no substitute to this.

Influence -You should have the ability to influence others. Cross functional team doesn’t report to you nor do you have any control over the team.   You must rally the team behind the common vision, roadmap and the overall product strategy and the key to this is trust and respect. You need to work hard at building these relationships over time and garner support from not just the technical team but also all the field teams and customers.

Core Values - This may sound a bit strange. But, this in my opinion is key.  Companies not only entrusts the product managers with the product but also the core values of the company and the cross functional team looks up to you . As I said earlier...passion is contagious and it is this passion that translates into garnering respect/support from the team and thus your belief in the company's core values should be reflected in your thoughts and actions.

Focus / Discipline -  Product Managers spend significant time on prioritizing things.   Focus on what you want to do , where you want to take the product, managing  your time, prioritization of the work, meetings etc is very important. Disciplined  and systematic approach is important else you end up focusing on all the things that really don’t translate into discovering and defining products that matter.

Communication - Need very strong communication skills . Both writing, speaking skills are essential for this job.

Additionally, there are other qualities that are important for the product manager to succeed.

• Self Confident

• Great Listener

• Ability to make hard and quick decisions

• Strong customer focus
• Relentless focus on improving execution

One can get into the depth of each of these qualities . My hope this quick summary will help identify the key traits and what you need to focus on.  Check out the YouTubex  videos on what product managers focus on at Google : Chris, Aseem, Charles