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A winning Product Manager hyperfocuses on continuous improvement, brings intuitive design thinking, treats their team as partners, actively unblocks people, trusts their team to deliver results, tackles tough conversations fast, and balances business needs with user needs. Find someone who does all seven and you've found your Bill Belichick.
What Makes a Great Product Manager?
For decades, Bill Belichick has been showing the football world what great leadership actually looks like. Since permanently joining the Patriots in 2000, he's helped grow the team from a mediocre organization into one of the most dominant in the league -- division championships almost every year, frequent Super Bowl berths, and multiple rings.
What's his secret? It's not an innate talent for football. (As a college athlete he was actually better at lacrosse.) It's not that he was born to coach. (He failed as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns before joining the Patriots.) It's that he learned what it takes to be not just a coach, but a leader.
In the design world, Product Managers are the Bill Belichicks of their organizations. They're responsible for setting a vision and developing the team and strategy needed to achieve it. Whether you're hiring a Product Manager for the first time or searching for someone who can take your product to the next level, take a page from the Patriots' playbook and look for these qualities.
What Are the 7 Attributes of a Winning Product Manager?
1. Do They Hyperfocus on Continuous Improvement?
Belichick's goal is to win NFL championships. To do that consistently, he knows the team has to reinvent itself year after year and make strategic choices that might not be popular today -- like certain draft picks or trading key players -- but will pay off in the long run.
A good Product Manager has a crystal clear sense of what's in and out of scope, and they'll do whatever it takes to protect their team, ship frequently, and achieve the end goal. They know new feature requests and ideas will pop up throughout the product development process, but they're comfortable saying, "I want to do that eventually, but for this release, we need to focus on XYZ."
They don't get sidetracked by shiny objects or save up for a big reveal. They stay 100% focused on shipping, learning, and improving constantly.
2. Do They Have an Intuitive Appreciation for Design Thinking?
The Patriots are notorious for hiring people who may not be the most talented or have the best pedigree, but who believe in "The Patriot Way" and are willing to learn.
Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia is a perfect example. He was an aeronautical engineer from Syracuse -- not the most obvious pick for a professional football team's coaching staff. But Belichick is known for hiring assistants young because they have a "clean mind," so he can shape how they think. He saw Patricia's potential and honed in on what he brought to the table: a systematic way of thinking, studiousness, and a natural ability to crack the code on that week's opponent. An unlikely recipe for success.
Strong Product Managers work the same way. They understand the value of design thinking, have a deep and current connection with what users need, and can naturally spot the kind of design that will meet those needs.
Design skills can be taught. Intuitive empathy and an innate sense for good design cannot.
3. Do They See Their Team as Partners, Not Pawns?
Belichick is great at clearly defining each player's role while knowing when to make changes so both the player and the team can perform at their best. Linebacker Mike Vrabel played defense for years, but in key situations Belichick would put him on offense so he could share his blocking abilities and help the team score goal line touchdowns.
Effective Product Managers have the same team mentality. Instead of approaching every situation as if they're working against their employees or other departments, they know they can accomplish more as partners than they can on their own. They go to great lengths to build a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
By uniting everyone under the same vision and goals, Product Managers have the power to align their entire organization and create amazing products together.
4. Do They Go Out of Their Way to Unblock Their Team?
Randy Moss was a talented wide receiver, but he had a lot of baggage affecting his performance and contributing to his reputation as a troublemaker. Like Matt Patricia, Belichick had the vision to see past Moss's shortcomings and brought him to the Patriots. After finally getting the support and stability he'd been craving, Moss had a resurgence year -- going from a castaway to a record-breaking All-Pro.
Product Managers do the same thing for their teams. Designers and developers often feel stumped by a problem, stressed about their workload, deterred by a lack of information or a toxic team member, or blocked in a dozen other ways.
The Product Manager is one of the only people with the authority and vision to make a quick decision that moves the individual -- and the whole team -- forward.
5. Do They Care About Results More Than How They Were Achieved?
Part of the Patriots' success comes from the trust their coaches have in their players. When they run a no-huddle offense, players call the plays themselves rather than waiting to consult the coaching staff. The team feels more empowered and learns how to make faster, better decisions.
Great Product Managers have that same trust in their teams. They don't fixate on what tools were used or what process was followed to get there. They care about the results.
The Product Manager knows their team works fastest when their leader is hands-off -- but they're also ready to swoop in the second things aren't going well or someone needs a hand.
6. Do They Have Tough Conversations Quickly?
Belichick has perfected the art of making hard choices fast for the good of the team. He's been known to move on from a declining player quickly to save money or get better talent in the future, even when his decision is unpopular or not understood at the time.
When design or development isn't hitting the mark, a strong leader won't waste time. They tackle the problem quickly and put their communication skills to work. Instead of throwing their weight around or inserting their personal opinion, they point out ambiguities, address the issue tactfully, and give the other party breathing room to find a solution.
7. Do They Balance Business and User Needs?
The NFL has a salary cap, so every team has the same amount of money to spend on players. Belichick knows exactly how to strike the right balance between paying enough to get promising players without overpaying and compromising their ability to round out the team. With his keen sense of a player's worth, the Patriots have achieved more success even though they have the same budget as everyone else.
Product Managers have that same ability to balance business needs and user needs. They have true empathy for both sides and know when and how to prioritize each one. They try to emphasize users wherever possible, but they also have a pragmatic sense of when to take care of the enterprise without heavily impacting the user experience.
Find Your Bill Belichick
Finding an amazing Product Manager is no small feat, but that one person has a massive impact. Without a strong leader at the helm, you're at risk of a failed product and a dysfunctional team. But with "the Belichick of Product Managers" on your side, you'll be able to lead your team and organization to success -- while raising the bar for your entire industry.
FAQ
What are the most important qualities to look for when hiring a Product Manager? Look for someone who can protect scope, think in terms of design, build collaborative teams, unblock people quickly, trust their team to deliver, handle hard conversations without hesitation, and balance user needs against business realities. All seven matter.
How is a Product Manager different from a project manager? A Product Manager sets the vision and strategy for what gets built and why. A project manager focuses on how and when it gets delivered. The PM is a leadership role -- they own the outcome, not just the timeline.
Why do Product Managers need an appreciation for design thinking? Because product development is fundamentally about solving user problems. A PM who doesn't connect with what users actually need will build the wrong things, no matter how well they manage scope or communicate with stakeholders.
How should a Product Manager handle situations where business needs and user needs conflict? With true empathy for both sides. A strong PM doesn't default to one or the other -- they know when to prioritize the user experience and when a business constraint has to take precedence, and they make that call deliberately rather than by accident.
What happens when a Product Manager fails to unblock their team? Work stalls, morale drops, and people start solving the wrong problems -- or stop solving problems altogether. One of the PM's most underrated responsibilities is clearing the path so designers and developers can do their best work.
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