Are you unsure how your Product Manager responsibilities fit into your team’s dynamics? Struggling to define your Product Manager job or wondering what it takes to thrive in your role? In this episode, we label different product team culture types, explore their anti-patterns, and discuss the types of people who perform best in each environment. Along the way, we break down the Product Manager definition within these settings and highlight essential skills for Product Managers to succeed. Think of this episode as part career guide, part group therapy—it’s packed with insights to help you navigate team dynamics and unlock your full potential.

1:21 - Todd has been thinking a lot about cultures—specifically product team cultures and how they impact Product Manager responsibilities.

2:00 - The Product Culture Name It Game and how to thrive in each culture as part of your Product Manager job.

3:26 - We discuss the different elements of product team cultures and their impact on defining essential skills for Product Managers.

5:52 - “If you build it, they will come”—a classic anti-pattern in product management.

8:29 - A discussion around sales enablement and its role in Product Manager responsibilities.

11:11 - A team that ONLY focuses on metrics/KPIs—aka the “tightwad” product culture, and what this means for the Product Manager job.

14:12 - Good aspects of a data-driven product culture and how it aligns with the Product Manager definition.

16:57 - Todd explains why he would thrive in a “data-thirsty” culture.

19:01 - Tips for how a PM can succeed in a data-driven culture by leveraging essential skills for Product Managers.

21:10 - Is success making all stakeholders happy? Or is it ensuring all departments agree on the right thing to do?

22:39 - The Consensus-Driven Culture—Joe gets the gold star for team alignment!

23:30 - A fun “Truman Show” reference to illustrate consensus-driven decision-making.

25:20 - Ryan shares when a consensus-driven culture isn’t ideal for a Product Manager job.

26:00 - Lightning Round: We share our favorite product culture names!

29:00 - Cool Kids Culture? Todd shares childhood trauma about not being “cool.”

30:52 - The Learners Culture: Why constant learning is an essential skill for Product Managers.

32:40 - Ryan and Todd joke about Joe’s real age—was he born in 1935?

34:04 - The Mission-Driven Culture: Aligning product strategy with purpose.

36:22 - The Fire-Fighter Culture: When every day is crisis management.

38:45 - Joe shares the Customer-Centric Culture: What it means for Product Manager responsibilities.

39:20 - Advantages and disadvantages of customer-centric cultures and their impact on defining essential skills for Product Managers.

41:00 - We share which product cultures each of us would thrive in based on our strengths as PMs.

42:00 - Key Takeaways: Plus, a fun “Jumanji” reference to wrap things up.

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.

1:42 - Meet Jeff and his big question for product managers: "How can we ensure we have the right understanding from our leaders?"

4:30 - Ryan emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes over outputs to clarify product manager responsibilities.

7:35 - Todd jokes about where their "outputs over outcomes" tattoo should go.

9:20 - Ryan urges product managers to seek clarity when they don’t understand the "why" behind a request.

10:30 - Todd shares a story from his LA Times days on asking for clarification from his boss.

15:12 - The group discusses how product managers can overcomplicate unclear requests.

16:00 - Joe suggests playing the "New Guy" card when in doubt.

19:00 - The team highlights that asking questions is a strength for a product manager, not a weakness.

23:35 - Ryan poses the question: Is there ever a time when product managers shouldn't ask for clarification?

24:28 - Joe shares a story about when he had to "bite his tongue" as a product manager.

26:30 - Todd adds that timing is everything; knowing when to ask is part of the product manager job.

30:00 - Joe discusses the role evolution from order-taker to partner for a product manager.

33:26 - Todd revisits Jeff’s story to highlight the importance of avoiding wasted time and resources on misaligned products.

34:30 - Joe shares a product manager tip: develop internal personas to better manage stakeholders and understand their goals.

35:20 - A lightning round on common requests that product managers initially misunderstood.

36:40 - The infamous "JIRA-slinging ticket monkey" term makes an appearance. Shoutout to Dean Peters!

38:46 - Key takeaways (and some friendly teasing of Joe for his wording choices).

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.

Episode Description

1:00- Meet Nils Davis

2:47- Nils reminds us that Product Managers are really “Unicorns” in the workforce

7:00- Nils shares his favorite phrase as a Product Manager “Your obvious is your art”

8:47- Nils shares the pros/cons of understanding your “spike”

10:03- We discuss how it's difficult to share our superpower with the people that surround us

12:08- Nils shares the different ways we can discover our PM spike/superpower

15:45- Todd shares the struggle with asking for feedback to identify your PM spike/superpower

17:52- Nils shares one of his PM spikes

20:15- Todd shares the PM spike he wishes he had

22:12- Todd compares Joe’s PM spike to that of a Golden Retriever

25:20- A new word is introduced to the Product Porch- “Pragmatic Empathy”

28:15- Todd asks the question of whether or not the PM role has a unique set of capabilities

33:19- We review the stable of “Product” Unicorns-

36:19- Todd reminds us why he’s against Annual Performance Reviews and not a coder 🙂

39:10- We wrap up with our advice for the PM community struggling to find their “spike” (Nils-leverage Clifton Strengths Finder assessment)- people are the stars of their own movies

40:18- Todd- Don’t feel guilty for your spike. Find that thing that you love and lean into it

41:30- Joe- Be genuine and true to yourself (not as profound as Todd/Nils)

42:00- Nils ends with a very profound thought- “Product Managers are amazing creatures, yet you would never know it from reading their resume”

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.