Why Product Managers Shouldn't Just Build What the Boss Says
COMMON PRODUCT MANAGER MISTAKE #1
In the life of a product manager, an all-to-common scenario often unfolds: the boss (or some senior executive) comes up with an idea and the product manager is tasked to bring it to life. It sounds straightforward, but there's a critical misstep in this approach - bypassing the essential stages of discovery, including market research and customer insight. This is a cautionary tale for product managers who might be tempted to earn the respect and adulation of their higher-ups and leap into development without first understanding if anyone will want it.
The pitfall of the top-down approach.
At first glance, it seems blatantly obvious to avoid the trap of the top-down approach in product management. Yet, the allure of a boss's idea, often well-articulated and seemingly sensible, can be deceptively appealing. These ideas are rarely outlandish; they tend to be polished, well-presented, and come across as grounded in good reasoning. This is where the subtlety of the trap lies.
For young, ambitious product managers, eager to make their mark and garner the admiration and attention of their superiors, the boss's idea seems like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I grab onto this and run with it? It's a chance to align closely with the vision of the senior team; at best it’s a seemingly direct path to recognition and career advancement, and at worst it’s an opportunity for more face time with the big wigs. Win-win, right?
Your opinion, while interesting, is irrelevant.
One of the key traits a product manager must personify is empathy. Typically, product managers are managing products for which they are not the target market. In those cases, it is incumbent on the product manager to get to know the target customer deeply and be able to empathize with and think like them.
Yet product managers are constantly faced with stakeholders in the company who have an opinion about the product, the roadmap, the design, the feature – you name it. And, in nearly all those cases, those opinions are just that – a stakeholder’s opinion of either what they want to see in the product or a stakeholder’s opinion of what they believe customers will want to see in the product. So, what’s a product manager to do in that case…especially if the stakeholder is their superior?
Diplomacy: the art of telling someone to go to hell…and have them go smiling.
The key lies in diplomacy and “upleveling” the discussion. Move the discussion up from where you disagree – the details and specifics of what to do and when, to a place where you do agree – the overall vision and strategy for the product and market. Acknowledge the vision but advocate for an informed approach that includes customer or market insights and also advocate for a testable approach so you can eliminate as much uncertainty as possible before committing valuable resources. The goal is to shift from a top-down mandate to a collaborative, evidence-based approach.
Admittedly, this pathway is fraught with challenges. Even when a product manager recognizes potential flaws in their boss's idea, the power dynamics at play make it difficult to voice concerns. Pushing back against a senior-level person is no small feat. It requires a delicate balance of respect, tact, and firmness – skills that are often still developing in less experienced product managers.
Customer Insights: mining for gold.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
--Henry Ford
This quote is often misinterpreted as an argument against customer insights asserting that customers don’t really know what they want. I don’t read it that way. What I see is the need to look underneath what customers are asking for (faster horses) to understand the underlying desire (faster transportation). This is where customer insight becomes invaluable. It provides a deep understanding of the 'whys' behind customer behaviors and preferences.
In practice, I’m always amazed at the lack of true customer insights in most product organizations. Sure, they know the market and they know who their target customers are. But they still lack these nuggets of wisdom that go beyond what customers say and do to understand how customers think. This is one of the critical items that separates successful product teams from unsuccessful ones.
Conclusion
As a product manager, your responsibility extends beyond mere execution. It involves being the voice of reason, the advocate for market alignment, and the champion of customer-centric development. Building what the boss wants without sufficient market research or customer insight is a risky gamble – one that can lead to products that are detached from market realities and customer needs. The true north for product managers should always be guided by data, insights, and evidence – ensuring that what they build is not a reflection of internal aspirations rather a response to a deep understanding of external opportunities.
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