I have been a PM for about a year, and it’s been bliss. Okay, that’s a lie. I considered going down a different career path barely 2 months into my new job. PM in theory and PM in practice is really different. You might have heard this, or maybe not? But I’ll tell you it is. I got my PM Job in January 2021, and I’ll be sharing mistakes I’ve made so far and how they could help an aspiring or new PM.
1. I was too scared to be a pest
I was going to title this sub-heading as ‘Ask Questions,’ but that would just not cut it. I did ask questions, but I didn’t ask the right questions. Most people tell you that the first 90 days are for understanding the company and its products, but you can only fully know when you ask the right questions. Normally, I like figuring stuff out by myself before asking what I do not understand. I found out that this didn’t work really well because if I had an idea of something and I found out that the real thing was totally different, there was some sort of confusion in my head. So here’s what I did — I went through the CUJs (Critical User Journeys) of what I wanted to understand, then asked questions about each component. I talked with the people in charge of the individual components to understand how they functioned and that helped me understand the bigger picture of why the product was that way. The earlier you do this, the better. I was really frustrated for 3 months because I did not just understand certain things. Safe to say I’m doing better.
PS: If there is no existing journey map, try creating one yourself.
2. I failed to understand fast
Not to add to the pressure, but you have to understand your product and company goals to a reasonable extent. A mistake I made cost the company, and we couldn’t hit our goal that week, and you know where all fingers pointed at? That’s right. Me. One thing I’m happy about is that failing early has taught me a lesson, and I’m sure this won’t happen again. One key to understanding fast is knowing what goes on at every stage — business and technical, and why. The WHYs are very important; never forget that.
Why? You’ll know pretty soon, lol.
3. No plans for growth
Before getting a job, I was very eager to learn and grow. A day wouldn’t go by without me reading a book, an article, stalking a PM, or doing something PM-related. The goal was to get a job in this field. At first, I wasn’t getting interviews; I put in the work and saw results, especially when I got invited for an interview at Google (that didn’t quite work out well). The interviews came, and shortly after, the job came, and the mistake I made was to assume that was the peak. I took a break from learning to adjust to the new environment, and that break turned into a learning vacation — a long one. That’s something you should never do. An article a week, a book a month, a PM webinar (Product School has this every other day, and you can tune in from LinkedIn, and it’s free too!), just anything to keep you focused and grow. Ever heard that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step? That quote is still very valid.
In a couple of weeks, I would be 6 months as a professional PM, and I’m excited about my growth so far. As always, I am open to more suggestions on what to write. Also, something huge is coming soon. I have always wanted to have a community of new and aspiring PMs, but everyone seems to be doing that, and there are many amazing communities you could join. I don’t think I can manage a community, but I can help a few. So I’m looking to help 5 aspiring PMs. If you’re interested, please fill this form.
You’re allowed to be a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same time!
Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to me via LinkedIn or Twitter.
