The Hub
The role of the Product Manager is unique in the business world, particularly in technology companies. No one else is responsible for working with so many different disciplines - Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Support, executives, and others - on a daily basis. The role is really the hub of the product organization, and the strength of the hub is the key to how well a wheel rolls. I've seen Product Managers perform in very different ways, with different results for the organization. Some of these include Reactors, Coordinators, and Initiators . A Reactor is a PM who waits for balls to be thrown his way, juggles them as they arrive, and returns them or passes them along as quickly as possible. A reactive PM is often overwhelmed by demands from different directions, and is rarely able to inspire new strategies or lead new initiatives. PMs tend to fall into a reactive role through a combination of overwhelming external demands and difficulty prioritizing them. It's im...