A Product Manager has one of the most broadest and vaguest job description ever. There are product managers with completely different set of skills and still equally successful. There are companies where product managers are just a “cog in the wheel” and then there are companies where product managers are “the wheel”. We, as product managers, often like to think of ourselves as “the CEO of the Product” or “the one wearing multiple hats” and many other similar buzzwords. In our own world, we are nothing less than a superhero. So, let’s take this fantasy a step forward and figure out “What if the Avengers were Product Manager?”
Iron Man
Strengths
1. Innovative
They are “the” most innovative members of the team. Be it thinking of new product features or new business ideas all together, they always have something up their sleeve.
2. Individual skill set
They have been at the product management game for a very long time and their skills, both in terms of strategy as well as day to day execution, are unmatched.
3. Prioritization / Always focussed on the long term plan
They are the masters of prioritization and know how to differentiate the important from the urgent. They always always are focused on the end goal and all their actions are to achieve that goal. Probably, they also use all the must have product management tools.
Weakness
1. Ego / Attitude
Years and years of praise and success has gone to their head. They don’t take criticism well enough and see any negative product feedback as a personal attack on themselves.
2. Impulsive
They are impulsive and take product decisions on the fly without any discussion with other stakeholders. This, at times, leads to short term hacks into the system which can later on lead to major architectural changes.
3. F**k Process
As long as they are sold on the idea, they don’t give a damn about the process. Sometimes that means no PRD, no prototypes, no user research – just straightaway start the development because they feel strongly about a product. They can also use “process” to their advantage to stall the projects which they are not interested in.
4. Credit Hungry
They are the attention seekers and have this inherent need to be praised regularly. They won’t think twice before taking credit for the team’s effort.
Summary
Just like Avengers, the Iron Man product manager are usually the ones who have been there from the very beginning. They are often the Product leaders and have immense clout with in their organizations.
Captain America
Strengths
1. Process Oriented
They do everything by the book. That means write all the PRDs, update JIRAs, prepare roadmaps, have regular stand-up meetings, no release without proper QA, keeping all the documentation updated etc. They bring clarity and transparency in the product development process.
2. Ownership
They own their product till the very end and would never shy away from taking any responsibility as long as it helps their product. They are actually the “CEO of their product”.
3. Team Player
They take feedback from all the stakeholders involved, keep everyone updated and would always make sure that the individual team member’s are recognised when they should be.
Weakness
1. F**k user feedback / Analytics
They have a very strong belief in their vision of the product. For them, it is the best course of action for their product. And at times, that would mean almost blindingly sticking to their point of view even if all the user feedback and data suggests otherwise. Turns out, as a product manager, the famous Avengers motivational quote of “taking a stand and telling the world to move” is not that good.
2. Troublemakers / Problem with Authority
Due to their sense of righteousness, they at times are also the troublemakers for the management. Irrespective of how much the management want a particular product, they just won’t let it happen until they themselves are sold on the idea. For them, it’s always “Me against the world” fight.
3. Unable to adapt
They love process to a fault and are not a big fan of change. They almost always find themsleves struggling with any change of process, tools, reporting structure or business strategy.
Summary
The Captain America product managers often command the respect of other teams like Tech, Design, Marketing etc.. and are viewed as unofficial leaders at the ground level. They also are the only ones who have the courage to stand their ground against the Iron Man Product Leader.
Thor
Strengths
1. Individual skill set
They have had experiences at multiple organizations and their rich experiences over the years helps them define the product in a more structured and scalable fashion.
2. Industry Leaders / Access to resources
They are usually the industry leaders and command a great respect in the product community in their industry. They can help bring great talent to the the team as well as get some initial traction or free marketing for the product just on the basis of their reputation in the industry.
Weakness
1. Lack of confidence
They regularly second guess themselves and most probably are suffering from the imposter syndrome. Though they have immense experience and skills of their own, they need external validation to keep going.
2. Lack of long term vision
They are supposed to be the leader but often get themselves too immersed in the short term goals rather than focussing on the long term vision. They would much rather focus on the DAU or MAU metrics rather than fixing the core product problems.
Summary
The Thor product manager has insane individual skills and probably was a kickass product leader in their previous organization (Avengers Thor in Asgard). But now they have switched companies and are just somehow not able to adapt to the new dynamics. They are an important part of the product team but are no leader.
Black Widow
Strengths
1. Analytics
They are the data experts. Their product approach is always backed by proper user research and data analysis.
2. Office Politics
They know the office politics like the back of their hand. Office politics may not be viewed as a positive attribute in genearl but it is a great tool for them to get things done their way whenever they want.
3. Business Strategy
They don’t limit themselves just to product management and take proactive participation in setting the long term business strategy of the company as well.
Weakness
1. Limited skill set
Their individual skill set is quite limited and they are usually dependent on others to get their job done.
2. Lack of trust
They have serious trust issues and would hide information from almost everyone. They can never be a team player. This in turn also makes them untrustworthy. There is always this feeling that they are trying to hide their past experiences (probably they were a Project Manager in their previous org).
Summary
The Black Widow product managers’ individual skills are not at all at par with the other members of the team but still somehow they have managed to stay relevant and an important member of the team. Probably because senior management seems to have a soft corner for them.
Hawkeye
Strengths
1. Focussed
They are focused on solving the problem at hand and are 100% committed to their job. They don’t get distracted easily and are somewhat similar to Captain America when it comes to their love for process.
2. Persistence
They have the never say never attitude and will just not rest until they have the right solution. If it means working all weekend, so be it.
Weakness
1. Limited skill set
They are somewhat of an expert in a couple of things but there is usually no breadth in their skill set. When outside their comfort zone, they may fail miserably.
2. More focussed on execution rather than strategy
They are more of a doer rather than planner. If anyone in this entire list even slightly resembles Project management in their working style, it is the Hawkeye.
Summary
The Hawkeye product managers are the junior / mid level product managers who perform only a couple of tasks but they are the best at it. They are the no nonsense product managers who just focus on doing their job well and believe that their hardwork will eventually pay off . However, they often don’t get much visibility/recognition within the team and are forgettable. Sad but true.
Hulk
Strengths
1. Individual skill set
They are the geniuses who will almost always single-handedly find answers to anything and everything, given proper time and resources. They have delievered some high impact products in the past to earn this reputation.
Weakness
1. Lone wolf
They are the lone wolf who mostly work on secret projects in silos and are not a team player at all.
2. Collateral damage
They would often get into heated arguments within the team and when they get mad they end up doing more damage to the team and the project.
Summary
The Hulk product managers are self destructive and may even go to the extent of intentionally derailing products just to prove their point. We should get rid of these product managers asap. Just like Avengers, the collateral damage is just too damn high with this product manager.
Spider-Man
Strengths
1. Hunger to learn/grow
They are always eager to learn and don’t have any ego. They just want to learn the craft and grow.
2. Intuitive / Innovative
They make up for their lack of experience with their intuition and innovation. They are not afraid to ask questions and bring a fresh new perspective to the team. Not being corrupted by standard frameworks or practices is an advantage they have.
3. Agile
They move fast and don’t procrastinate at all. They are always on time and would just never miss a deadline, even if that means pulling an all-nighter.
Weakness
1. Lack of experience
This is nothing they can do much about and i won’t hold it personally against them but it’s a weakness nonetheless. Every task, whether big or small, is an uncharted territory for them and they are bound to make mistakes.
2. Lack of Focus
Due to their lack of experience, they sometimes unknowingly end up focussing on the insignificant tasks and thus may impact the timelines.
Summary
Spidey is the latest entry to the Avengers and similarly, the Spider-Man product manager are the young first time product managers. They are all excited to learn and contribute to the team. They are easily impressionable, but at the same time also have the potential of becoming the future product leader.
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