Essentials
To MBA or not to MBA, that is the question
Product Management requires a varied and adaptable set of skills. Is an MBA required for success? Not a simple yes or no question, as often in life, the answer is "it depends"
Essentials
A subset of posts that focus on very foundational, or useful information for the field of Product Management or Product Marketing. Something for everybody
Essentials
Useful tools for Product Management
Tools are critical to the product manager to be effective. Here I talk about some of my personal arsenal of tools to be effective, not a complete list, but useful aids to the job at hand
Essentials
The PLC - a Primer
Regardless of the size or maturity of your organization, you have a product lifecycle, even if it is undocumented. A start at understanding is in this post
Essentials
Friends Don't Let Friends Become Product Managers
When asked how to join the ranks of product management, my first instinct is to dissuade them from the profession.
Essentials
Product Management Success Part II - Applications Engineers
Where to find good Product Management candidates? Applications Engineering is a fertile hunting ground for potential recruits
Essentials
Product Management Success Part I - Sales Engineers
System Engineers (or technical sales engineers) make good feedstock for product managers. Their tech skills, and customer savvy are good foundations
Essentials
When Product Managers Fail part II - Sales
There are good places to find product management talent, and there are bad places. Sales is among the worst.
Essentials
When Product Managers Fail part 1 - Engineers
Finding good product management candidates is difficult. Some backgrounds are better than others. One that rarely works is a candidate from engineering
Essentials
Rockstar Product Management
There is a perception that you want to have all "rockstars" on your team. Unfortunately, this isn't always a great idea, and in fact it is not a goal to have
Essentials
The Sunken Cost Argument
Often, programs are on life support long past their "sell by" date, simply because leaders are loathe to acknowledge that they made a mistake.
Essentials
The Struggle for Product Management to Rise to Executive
Product managers often dream of higher rungs on the ladder, but that jump often eludes them. There are many reasons, read on for why ...
Essentials
Pitfalls of an Engineering Lead Organization
Engineering lead companies can be difficult for product management. They can be transformed, but it will not be easy, and a strong Product Management function is key to this change