5 Myths About Product Managers
Differentiating the ideal, expected, and real scenarios brought me peace; I hope it does the same for you.
1) PMs are Decision Makers
What people think: Product Managers make all the decisions.
What it actually means: Product Managers facilitate decisions by gathering input and aligning stakeholders but do not make all decisions independently.
2) PMs are Mini CEOs
What people think: Product Managers have the same authority as CEOs, controlling the product vision and making all the strategic decisions.
What it actually means: While Product Managers do drive the product vision and strategy, they do so through collaboration and influence rather than direct authority. Unlike CEOs, who have the final say and command over the entire organization, Product Managers must work within constraints, align with multiple stakeholders, and often need approval from higher-ups or other departments to execute their plans.
3) Courses and Books Will Fully Prepare You
What people think: Reading books and taking courses is the foundation for starting my Product Manager journey, and I can apply these examples to my role.
What it actually means: While helpful, no course or book can fully prepare you for the unpredictable challenges. The best learning comes from real-world experience. Factors such as company maturity, leadership alignment with product-led growth versus other types of growth, understanding customer value, and business growth all play crucial roles, and are often influenced by the context experienced PM leaders had when writing those books and courses.
4) Sole focus on Customer Value Will Always Help
What people think: Sole focus on customer value is always the best strategy.
What it means: While understanding customer value is critical, PMs must also understand and align the customer value with the business model.
5) The Product Manager Knows Everything About the Product
What people think: Product Managers have exhaustive knowledge about every aspect of the product.
What it actually means: Product Managers need to know the essentials and leverage Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for specialized knowledge.
Based on my experience, the role of a Product Manager is a blend of greenfield initiatives and checklist tasks, varying significantly depending on the company’s stage, growth, PM department, stakeholders, and line managers.
It’s up to you to decide your goals, non-negotiable work ethics, and professional objectives and determine which battles are worth fighting.
If you have any suggestions or feedback, don’t hesitate to comment or reach out to me via my email at nidasaleem333@gmail.com.
