Behaviors That Separate Effective Product Managers From Ineffective Ones

An interviewer asks how you tell a good product manager from a bad one. Lay out the criteria you would use and, for each one, contrast what a strong PM does with what a weak PM does. ```hint Contrast behaviors, not adjectives "Good communicator" says little on its own. For each quality you choose, describe what a strong PM actually does in a concrete situation and what a weak PM does in the same situation. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the answer cover product managers in general, or the PM role at this company, where the product and team setup may change which traits matter most? - Should "good" be judged by the results a PM's products achieve, by how the PM works with the team, or by both? - Does the interviewer also want you to assess yourself against your own criteria? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A short statement of what a PM is accountable for, used as the basis for the criteria. - A small, organized set of dimensions spanning the main parts of the job, each with a concrete contrast between strong and weak behavior. - A position on outcomes versus output, and on how a PM balances data with judgment. - Nuance about how context, such as company stage or product type, shifts which traits matter most. - An honest self-assessment against the criteria. ### Follow-up Questions - Think of the strongest PM you have worked with or observed. What did they do that others did not? - Which of these traits is hardest to assess in a hiring interview, and how would you test for it? - Where do you fall short of your own criteria, and what are you doing about it?