As I prepare myself to take up my new job as a product manager, my mind is on an overdrive racing in all directions. As a product guy, there are a ton of things that demand your attention when you are joining a new organization and it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the deluge of all the new information coming your way. For me the stakes are even higher because I am moving to a new country, joining a new team, would work on a completely new domain and managing a product that is new to me too. Hence, if I don't take charge and structure my learning, I would be setting myself up for failure. The initial days in a product manager’s new job is crucial because the actions you take during your first few months will determine whether you succeed or fail eventually. The success and failure during your first few months also is a strong predictor of overall success or failure in the job. The early days of a product manager is when he needs to demonstrate eagerness to learn fast. In around the first 100 days, your bosses, peers and direct reports typically expect you to be getting some traction in your role.
Hey, thanks for this post! I read it shortly before starting a new job about 4 months ago. Aside from being a helpful overview of a wide range of things that make sense to do early into a PM role, your advice to "Pick things faster than what you usually do and show progress" really nudged me to do as you suggest, even amidst an environment with very aggressive timelines and a lot of challenges. In my first performance review yesterday, my manager mentioned how impressed he was with how quickly I'd gotten up to speed, and the focus of our discussion was mostly on what he could do to help support me in making this a sustainable position, rather than shortcomings or areas he'd like to see me improve.
Hey, thanks for this post! I read it shortly before starting a new job about 4 months ago. Aside from being a helpful overview of a wide range of things that make sense to do early into a PM role, your advice to "Pick things faster than what you usually do and show progress" really nudged me to do as you suggest, even amidst an environment with very aggressive timelines and a lot of challenges. In my first performance review yesterday, my manager mentioned how impressed he was with how quickly I'd gotten up to speed, and the focus of our discussion was mostly on what he could do to help support me in making this a sustainable position, rather than shortcomings or areas he'd like to see me improve.