PMs who transition from other professions bring life skills that help them understand diverse perspectives. This real-world experience builds more empathy than academic product management programs, which primarily teach frameworks and a common language.
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Nike hired a former coach for a technical materials role, believing his deep understanding of athletes' needs was more critical than a chemistry degree, which could be learned on the job. This approach highlights prioritizing user empathy in hiring for product-centric roles.
A sales background teaches more than customer centricity. It instills resilience and the fearlessness to approach anyone in an organization to get things done, a vital skill for navigating the cross-functional demands of product management.
To quickly gain a broad, foundational understanding of an adjacent field, read their interview prep books. An engineer reading a PM interview book will get a superficial but wide-ranging grasp of product thinking. This builds empathy and enables more productive conversations with cross-functional partners.
Product management "range" is developed not by learning domain-specific facts, but by recognizing universal human behaviors that transcend industries—the desire for simplicity, convenience, or saving time. Working across different verticals hones this pattern-matching skill, which is more valuable than deep expertise in a world of accessible information.
The skills developed as an intelligence officer—understanding mission goals, risks, operator needs, and coordinating across diverse teams—directly translate to the cross-functional responsibilities of a product manager who must align sales, marketing, and engineering.
Bending Spoons' product lead argues that the ideal PM background is either entrepreneurial, which teaches focus on impactful work, or deeply analytical, which fosters an understanding of root causes. These two paths provide the core skills needed for product leadership.
Contrary to the popular belief that it's always detrimental, for product managers, context switching is a core strength. Fluidly moving between customer, engineering, and marketing conversations is essential for integrating diverse perspectives to bring a product to life.
Instead of seeking a specific PM archetype (e.g., innovator, maximizer), focus on hiring individuals who bring unique perspectives, skills, or backgrounds. This approach builds a more resilient and versatile product organization, even if the new hire's style differs from the manager's.
Great PMs excel by understanding and influencing human behavior. This "people sense" applies to both discerning customer needs to build the right product and to aligning internal teams to bring that vision to life. Every aspect, from product-market fit to go-to-market strategy, ultimately hinges on understanding people.
Skills honed in journalism—such as effective communication, storytelling, empathy, active listening, and asking probing questions—are directly transferable and fundamental to succeeding as a product manager.