A Product Manager has the responsibility to build up products, to make them a success. In software development, “management” roles are trying to evolve for years in a magic formula that will make products more successful, with less risks and improved precision on estimations. I myself have worked as project manager, product owner and product manager, and in each of those positions I was using different methodologies to delivery software. And, although I believe the software industry has lots to improve in this area, I have seen lots of improvements though the years. But what about “removing” authority on the product management side, does it even make sense?
Easy: yes, it does make sense! Why, you asked? Not so simple answer this time, but I see some reasons that can support my previously answer.
First of all, technical knowledge. In my case, I do have a technical background and can still hands on in some not so deep cases, but I am far from being a up to date technical professional. If I compare myself with the developers I work(ed) with, my technical knowledge is a shame. So, how would I be able to have authority over the decisions made by the developers? How can I challenge them in their technical discussions? That is why, in my opinion, a tech leader makes much more sense.
A PM needs to delivery product, usually running agains time and low resources. In this scenario, it is easy to get blind in a conflict of interest and, for example, neglect a technical aspect that could make the development takes longer but that could be crucial for security reasons.
Another good reason is that, we don’t want developers to accept what we say as PM just because they are trying to respect some hierarchy. A PM needs to be challenged, mainly by developers. They are the ones that know best how the system works, and can bring unique perspectives for discussions.
Of course there are many other reasons why PMs should not be the developers’ leaders, but I just wanted to show that it make sense, since my main goal in this post is to share my experience about leadership without authority.
I see myself as part of the team, therefore I try to share as much as possible with it. As a PM we have the responsibility to explain to the team the goals of the business, why a new feature is needed, what is the problem we are trying to solve, what our market researches are showing and so on. If you pass the challenges the team will bring with their questions, you will have their respect and authority is irrelevant. Show them that you are part of the team and, most important, listening to them, accept their opinion, share arguments to show that an idea does not fit at the moment and when you need to change priorities, explain why and how it impacts the company. Also, support them when they need to make technical improvements by giving them time and showing to the stakeholders how it can also bring benefits for the users.
Ah, another important thing: show the team the final result of their work. What are the customers saying about it, or how the sales increased with some new feature, how did it help the company to achieve a important goal, and so on.
In short, I would say that the main keys to being effective here are: build up your trust with the team, good communication, transparency and persuasion. Team work is the best tool to success! Always!