14 Habits of Highly Effective Product Managers

11. Great PMs anticipate what’s around the corner so that they can get ahead of it

Always start off each meeting with energy and positivity.Find something fun for the team to do regularly—a weekly happy hour, a monthly team-building event.Bring surprise and delight to regular events—a team band at your all-hands, goats on your Zoom calls, birthday surprises at your standup.

10. Great PMs speak with their customers regularly

Some ways to build this habit:When you see sub-par performance, don’t ignore it. Push back. When you’re about to share a PRD/1-Pager, ask yourself: What’s ONE thing I could do to make this doc more succinct?Make sure to review each major document, meeting, and presentation that your team is outputting—make sure the work your team puts out into... See more

1. Great PMs take pride in the clarity and conciseness of their documents, emails, presentations, and meetings

Always prioritize tasks that unblock your team members.Ask your team members often: What’s slowing you down?Look around corners—what’s a looming soon-to-be blocker that you can keep from becoming a blocker?

Forward examples of great work to your teammates’ managers.Highlight team member achievements in your team meetings and email updates.Start a “#team-huzzah” type Slack channel to celebrate wins, big and small.

13. Great PMs amplify the successes and contributions of team members

3. Great PMs hold the bar high for the work they, and their teammates, do