If you want to be a bad product manager, just focus on your product on its own. If you want to be a good product manager, think of your product as part of a system.

If you want to be a bad product manager, insist on arbitrary and inflexible release dates. If you want to be a good product manager, be realistic about the necessity of meeting release dates.

If you want to be a bad product manager, use market research to justify a decision you’ve already made. You’re the product manager, after all, and you know what the product should do and how it should do it. You’ve done your research already. If someone else has research that conflicts with what you’ve found,… Continue reading Use market research properly

If you want to be a bad product manager, treat all aspects of the job as equally important and try to do everything yourself. If you want to be a good product manager, focus on the most important areas of your job and find people who can help with other aspects of product management.

If you want to be a bad product manager, create mystery around your product. Be coy with your name and message to the market. You want to “build buzz” and by making your soon-to-be-released product an enigma, you can get people excited about it. Telling potential customers what the product does would just ruin the… Continue reading Clearly communicate your product’s purpose

If you want to be a bad product manager, never take risks. If you want to be a good product manager, experiment and learn.

If you want to be a bad product manager, craft your product positioning as you’re ready to launch the product. If you want to be a good product manager, plan your product positioning as early as possible, even before you start building your product.

If you want to be a bad product manager, resist change. If you want to be a good product manager, be prepared for and adaptable to change.

If you want to be a bad product manager, focus on how your product’s requirements should be implemented. If you want to be a good product manager, focus on what requirements should be in the product in the first place.

If you want to be a bad product manager, assume your boss is trying to get in the way. If you want to be a good product manager, work with your manager to help improve your effectiveness as a product manager.