Principles of Product Management: How to Land a PM Job and Launch Your Product Career

by Peter Yang

Great product managers rely on their leadership skills every day to help their team ship products that solve customer problems.

Product managers build leadership skills through adversity. When your product fails to gain traction, when your team falls apart, or when your manager gives you tough feedback— these are all opportunities to become a better PM and person.

Be Humble Taking ownership starts with being humble. As a product manager, you succeed or fail through your team.

Take ownership of your emotions. It’s natural to get emotional when you’re in a heated debate with a teammate or receiving critical feedback from your manager.

Controlling your emotions is easier said than done, so here are a few tips: Recognize the warning signs when you’re getting emotional, such as your face getting flustered. Take a breath and listen to the other person’s point of view. Reflect for a few seconds, then respond in a clear, calm manner.

Every morning, identify no more than three tasks that you want to accomplish during the day. Update your calendar to reflect these priorities and say no to all non-essential work.

The majority of disagreements happen when people are not aligned on the why.