Thinking about a career in Product Management
We at Crescent Consulting are frequently being approached for career advice, which direction someone should take to end up in a particular area, what the prerequisite and nice-to-haves are, and what training courses to pursue.
We recently interviewed a local Product Director to explore what it takes to become a good Product Manager and what career path exists in this area.
The Product Director shared their thoughts on product management and career growth in this field. We asked what they would be looking for in a Product Manager, where they typically come from and what training is available in this area:
What would you be looking for if you hired a Product Manager?
When it comes to hiring Product Managers, they emphasised the need for curiosity (never satisfied with surface-level answers), critical thinking, and the ability to conceptualise good experiences and business models. They pointed out that product managers need to balance customer focus with realistic expectations about what can be achieved.
What training and development is available for people wanting to move into product management?
For those looking to break into product management, the Product Director highlighted several training options. These include resources from Product Aotearoa and local coaches in Christchurch such as GSD Alliance who are running bootcamps. They noted that, while there’s no specific University degree for product management, courses are available online and in person.
Where do Product Managers typically come from?
Product Managers often come from diverse backgrounds: QA, project management, business analysis and even subject matter experts from fields like accounting or law can make the transition. The Product Director stressed that, anyone who regularly interacts with customers and has a knack for problem-solving, could potentially become a Product Manager. They could also come from marketing and sales roles and in some cases, from Engineering and hands-on technical positions.
What are the key skills of a Product Manager?
To progress in a product management career, the Product Director highlighted critical thinking, storytelling and influence as key skills. They stressed the importance of recognising biases and making well-informed decisions to avoid product waste. They also outlined that a good Product Manager needs to think about long term product sustainability, have a strong commercial awareness and understand technology trends. Furthermore, they need to be able to inspire teams, manage stakeholders and have a high level of resilience.
What is the focus of a Product Director?
As a Product Director, the role is a mix of strategy and operations. They focus on long-term goals and cross-functional collaboration, while also mentoring team members, planning for succession and being the face of the product to customers. Companies that typically employ Product Directors are often scaling B2B businesses with multiple products or product areas.
The Product Director believes that great Product Directors have a wealth of experience across different products and companies. They have a deep knowledge of the product management craft, ‘lived’ experience from making both, good and bad decisions. They also have the ability to pattern match and read context well. They have a breadth of experience across various product scenarios. This allows them to spot patterns and provide valuable mentoring to their teams. New Zealand’s product management landscape tends to focus more on B2B products and values strong customer relationships due to the smaller market size.
Would a Product Manager work across different products and industries or stay in their lane?
Product Managers can work across different industries and product types, move from hardware to software or completely outside tech areas. There is much transferrable knowledge about business operations, customer journeys and go-to marketing strategies to be able to work across different product areas. Some Product Managers specialise in specific industries (eg healthcare, FMCG, Primary Industries) for deep expertise.
Domain expertise can make a Product Manager highly sought after in specific industries.
What are the typical career growth options for Product Managers?
When it comes to career progression, Product Managers can move up to Product Director roles and potentially to VP of Product or C-level positions. However, CPO (Chief Product Officer) roles are less common in New Zealand and are often filled through networking rather than traditional job postings. There is a need for more product professionals to progress to C-level product leadership roles in NZ.
What do you like most about your role of Product Director?
The Product Director role brings joy in seeing the team members grow and succeed and receive recognition for their work. Balancing product work with management responsibilities and building connections with diverse people across different roles is a highlight as is the collaborative nature of the role and the challenge of working through complex problems with peers.
We very much appreciated the Product Director sharing their vast knowledge and experience with us, stay tuned for next month’s blog on another discipline within the tech arena!