There are two defining moments in my product management career so far.
The first moment is after I failed the Facebook PM interview loop twice in a row. Back then, I was ready to give up. I started to think: “Maybe I just don’t have the right skills to be a product manager, maybe I should be happy to be in my current job.” But a good friend told me: If this is your goal, then you can’t give up. You’re just going to have to keep trying because otherwise, you’re not going to be happy. And if you’re not satisfied, you’re not going to succeed in your current job either.” That pushed me to look for product roles externally, and with persistence, I was able to land an offer.
The second moment is after I received a negative performance review a year into my journey as a new PM. That review forced me to take a hard look at myself. I realized that I needed to be more patient and to focus more on building relationships instead of just getting things done.
Maybe you’ve also experienced moments like above. Maybe you’ve been trying to become a product manager for a while but have failed
multiple job interviews. Or maybe you’re a few years into your PM journey and are not progressing as fast as you’d like.
Everyone experiences setbacks. The difference is how you respond to it. I like this equation from Ray Dalio, the billionaire hedge fund investor:
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Pain + Reflection = Progress
If you can reflect well on your setbacks, make adjustments, and never give up, then you will make progress toward your goal. And if you make progress, you’ll still be in a better spot than you were before, even if you don’t reach your goal.
I hope that reading this book has helped you with your product management journey. When you experience pain or failure, I hope you reflect on the PM principles to become a more effective leader. When you’re building a product, I hope that you follow the “understand, identify, and execute” product development loop to create products that customers love. Finally, I hope you apply the principles and the product development loop to transitioning to product management and acing your product interviews.
So, never give up and have the courage to go after what you want.
