Building Products for the Enterprise

Chapter 3. Three Types of Knowledge for a Product Manager to Seek

Anywhere you go, successful product managers are relentless in their pursuit of knowledge, although the kinds of knowledge that matter—and how to obtain that knowledge—vary. We recommend thinking about your research and expertise as an enterprise product manager as falling into three distinct categories: organizational knowledge, product knowledge, and industry knowledge.

Congratulations on your hire or promotion into the role of product manager! If you’re like most new product managers, you’re full of energy and zeal, ready to conquer the world through sheer grit, determination, and lots of sugary treats or booze carts for your developers. (Blair prefers bourbon and gummy worms, whereas Ben goes for ice cream. To each PM, their own.) You’re instantly going to win over your colleagues and ship great product features with all of the passion you bring to your company. Right?

Well, sort of. Zeal is an important aspect of successful product management. When you’re communicating a vision and arguing to resource your roadmap in a particular way that supports that vision, passion is critical. This isn’t to say that you should be standing on (or throwing) chairs, or raising your voice, but believing in your own message and making it clear how much you care about it is key. When everyone in your organization can see how strongly you believe in whatever you’re trying to get built, it’s much easier for them to rally around ...