Below Water Level

Product Managers are at the greatest risk of under-performance in a software triad. Their training needs an intentional, daily ritual. But, Product leaders and their lieutenants are the least suited to provide this training. Real change happens through hourly, daily feedback, which is too distracting and expensive to carry out through traditional org hierarchy.

Admit it, you are a product leader but that makes you least suited to coach your  people in product management. In fact, deep down, you know that product leadership is more leadership than product management, and it’s been a while since you launched something yourself.

You neither have the time or the closeness to where the work actually takes place. Your VPs and Directors are busy managing you and the org to take the time to address the individual PM skills gap. So how do you make someone a great product manager?

Trial-By-Fire or Die-Fighting-Fires

Training ought to be a sweat, blood and tears affair. Absent a focus on training Product Managers, the result is slow execution, wasted time and money, unclear direction, friction-filled cross-functional relationships and ultimately, missing outcomes. So, how do we make a product manager out of someone?

I grew up seeing this play out, living on Indian Army bases and far-away outposts, watching officers and men train, day-in and day-out. There is a recipe to this and a system at work, to make a soldier, an officer, a General out of a nobody.

The Cavalry is Not Coming

The PMs are the ones who do the real work, getting products and releases out. If one is already a good product manager, there are enough programs to help them become a product leader. In many cases, one can even be the head of the Product function without ever being a product manager. The IC PM still needs to do his job and learn it himself. There is very little you can do to help them. What makes it worse is, there is nothing to help you either, the head of the function, for making someone a good PM.

This makes IC PMs the weakest link in the chain. They are at the greatest risk of under-performance in a software triad. The results are obvious and clearly visible.

Apprenticeship Model

Filling the PM skills gap needs meeting PMs where they are. Then, helping them climb the ladder of skills. There is a sequence to teaching the skills. PM skills are developed best in the context of the job, aided by almost hourly support to instill fast-paced change. Trying, failing, showing, seeing, grasping, trying again, doing better and better. The cycle needs daily repetition, multiple times a day. This is an old-fashioned apprenticeship model.

It’s not going to be easy, it will take time, but as the head of the function, what alternative do you have? You are not in the ZIRP era anymore to not have to worry about efficiency of the system.