Apr 5
CarlsChat with Ritvik Kar '19, Senior Project Manager, LinkedIn
CarlsChat with Ritvik Kar ’19 (Computer Science and Cinema/Media Studies), Product Manager, LinkedIn.
Product Managers are tasked with defining a problem statement (audience, need, value of solving that need) and rallying a team of cross-functional stakeholders to solve that problem. Two common things you'll hear: 1) PMs spend their time at the intersection of technology, design, and user experience and 2) PMs are the CEO of their product. I partially agree with both definitions. PMs do need to advocate for a real user need while navigating complexities and trade-offs across all three disciplines. Like a CEO, we are responsible for setting goals, defining success, motivating teams, and owning outcomes (good or bad). But unlike a CEO, we do this without any additional authority. As a PM, it's critical to learn how to "influence without authority" and rally your team to buy into a vision vs dictating it to them.