by Bob | Jun 21, 2016 | Product Management, Skills
A successful product manager is an avid networker. Every successful product is a direct result of a team or teams working together to develop and deliver the product. At IBM, I would network with development teams within other product brands to learn more about their...
by Bob | May 3, 2016 | Product Management
“What happened and what are we going to do so it doesn’t happen again?” With a new development team and a new project manager, I seemed to always repeat myself. They would often come to me with the latest bug or issue that would need resolving. Delays would hit the...
by Bob | Apr 15, 2016 | Leadership, Product Management
As a product manager, it’s important to recognize the most important person on the project. When you notice and recognize him or her, they will put more effort into the product. The key point is that everyone on the project is the most important person on the project....
by Bob | Mar 15, 2016 | Leadership, Skills, Thinking
I recently attended a Scaled Agile Training as well as I have been listening to CD’s by Orrin Woodward. A common theme was this idea of PDCA. PDCA was made popular by Edward Demming. His lean thinking has had a huge impact on the world. [amazon template=iframe...
by Bob | Feb 15, 2016 | Product Management
Balance as a product manager Starting a job and establishing a reputation in a new company can be tiring. Keeping balance as a product manager was not a high priority when I started my new position. I have always tried to guard against burn out, but I also believe...
by Bob | Jan 10, 2016 | Product Management, Skills
There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. -Norman Vincent Peale As a product manager, it’s easy to get caught in the grind and lose your enthusiasm. After all, there are so many things on your plate. I...
by Bob | Oct 17, 2015 | Stakeholder Management
I was at a Product Manager meetup the other day and was asked the question how often do I get the executives together. A young product manager looked somewhat confused when I said, “it depends”. Startups here in Silicon Valley can move so quickly sometimes daily is...
by Bob | Sep 11, 2015 | Product Management, Skills
A product manager must be a big thinker. Instead of asking can we do this, be sure to ask why can’t we do this? When managing “call home” for IBM, I continued to ask why can’t we create a common cross-platform solution? We faced plenty of architectural challenges...
by Bob | Aug 2, 2014 | Leadership, Product Management, Quotes, Skills
I read many books about the first 100 days at your new position. I now reflect on my first 100 days at Symantec. I’ve put a lot of energy into building momentum, casting vision and building my network. I have had a few key successes and continue to build on my...
by Bob | Feb 21, 2014 | Product Management, Thinking
I was the guest of honor. I had traveled 27 hours to reach China, spent 2 days training the local team, and I was tired! The people from work were taking me to dinner. We sat in a big circle with a lazy suzan in the center. I didn’t understand a word when my...
