Book Review: 5/5 Impact On Me (Book By Matt Lemay)
Read more about the book here
This book shows the real-world side of what Marty Cagan describes in "Inspired." "Inspired" lays out how product management should ideally works, focusing on customer needs, creating a clear roadmap, and thinking about problems (not features or solutions). This book dives into the messy reality most product managers face in many companies. It highlights that product management involves a great deal of project management. It took me a few years to get to grips with this.
I recall being asked in interviews for Product Manager roles whether I would prioritize customer needs or stakeholder demands. I said "always customer needs", believing that to be the key for a product manager in building successful products. But this book has opened my eyes to the importance of maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders and colleagues. While aiming for customer goals is crucial, it shouldn't come at the cost of alienating your colleagues. Product managers should not keep their teams away from meetings or customer interactions.
A peer engineering manager once emphasized to me the value of "disagree and commit," including the advice to never speak poorly about superiors to the engineering team. This book ties in well with "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," particularly the challenge for product managers in a matrix organization who might view their direct engineering team as their primary team. Instead, the book suggests they should see their peer product managers as their primary teammates. This perspective shift is vital for fostering collaboration and effective teamwork.