I was at a tech startup for 6 years serving as an engineer, engineering manager, and then a product manager. I have a strong technical background and formal academic training in computer science, but I didn't have much mentorship or guidance as I transitioned into product management. I'd appreciate advice, resources, coaching, etc. to be able to grow out my product management skill set. I'm actively seeking out my next role and want to be prepared not only for interviews but also to hit the ground running on day one.
Responses
Thanks Nikhil! I read through Inspired and am subscribed to Lenny's Newsletter and listen to the podcast, and I really found those resources to be invaluable, so I'm excited to check out the other things that you mentioned.
I actually think that my experiences as a people manager can translate pretty well into "rallying your teams and inspiring and motivating them". I learned a lot about how to communicate effectively and the different ways that people are motivated. I think they translate into the IC space too.
Congrats on making the transition! Coming from a technical background, I would say your engineering peers are going to respect your ability to do the work and your empathy for their role. As a PM, you'll want to ensure you are still focusing on the business value and the why and not telling engineering how to build things.
From a general standpoint, the hardest skills transition to are influencing without authority, and communicating a vision to get buy-in from different stakeholders. Some of the best resources are Stratechery for really understanding business strategy, and Lenny's Newsletter for understanding the execution and strategic elements of Product Management. A few great books to check out are Inspired by Marty Cagan, Product Management in Practice by Matt LeMay, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.
Rallying your teams and inspiring and motivating them to achieve great things is one of the hardest parts of product management, but when you are able to get better at this, you'll find the rest of the role becomes easier too. Hope this helps!
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