PM was all about certainty... or so I thought.

Early in my career, I thought product management was all about being decisive and having the right answers. I believed that if I knew enough, I’d automatically be good at the job.

Then, I joined a project at Meta. I had the technical knowledge, the roadmap seemed clear, and I was confident we'd deliver the right solution. But halfway through, things started falling apart—our priorities shifted, team members kept misaligning, and I realized I didn’t have the right soft skills to hold things together.

It was a humbling moment. I learned that success in product management isn’t just about knowing the technical details—it’s about mastering a blend of skills that help you lead, influence, and execute.

So... What Skills Do You Actually Need?

To answer this, you need to reflect on three key questions:

• What skills do I already have?
• Where are my gaps?
• What should I prioritize learning next?

Product management is a unique mix of hard skills (your technical expertise) and soft skills (your ability to lead, influence, and connect). When you’re starting out, hard skills take center stage. But as you advance, soft skills become crucial for driving impact.

The 3 Core Competencies of Great PMs

1. Execution 
2. Strategy
3. Leadership

Your focus will evolve throughout your career:

• Associate / Junior PM: 90% Execution

• PM / Senior PM: 60% Execution, 40% Strategy & Leadership

• Lead / Director PM: 30% Execution, 70% Strategy & Leadership

The higher you climb, the more it becomes not what you do but how you do it. But first, you need to master the fundamentals.

Breaking Down the 3 Core Competencies

1. Execution: Turning Ideas into Reality

Execution is all about getting things done—turning ambiguous ideas into actionable plans that your team can follow.

• Break down big ideas into manageable steps

• Prioritize tasks and milestones effectively

• Secure commitments from team members and keep everyone accountable

I once worked on a product at Shopify where my team felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the project. By breaking the work into clear milestones, we suddenly had momentum—and the team felt confident again.

2. Leadership: Bringing Out the Best in Your Team

PMs don’t have formal authority over their teams, yet they’re expected to lead. Effective leadership is about influence—not control.

• Represent your team’s perspectives fairly in reviews and meetings

• Communicate clearly and consistently—whether in written updates or presentations

• Inspire your team by connecting their work to a bigger mission

One of my biggest leadership lessons came from a time when I ignored my team’s concerns about a risky feature. Instead of inviting their perspectives, I pushed ahead. The result? We launched something that users didn’t even want. I realized that leadership isn’t about pushing your ideas—it’s about empowering your team to share theirs.

3. Strategy: Knowing Where to Focus

Product managers are decision-makers. You need to understand your company’s goals and align your roadmap accordingly.

• Balancing user needs, business outcomes, and technical feasibility

• Drive a compelling strategy that aligns with your product's purpose

• Set a high-quality standard for the products you deliver

At Meta, I once spent weeks working on a product feature that seemed promising—but I hadn’t checked how it fit the broader strategy. After some tough conversations, I scrapped the idea. That experience taught me to prioritize strategic thinking just as much as execution.

The 40/60 Rule: Balancing Strategy and Execution

It’s easy to get stuck in execution mode—putting out fires, writing endless specs, and racing against deadlines. That’s why I follow the 40/60 rule:

• Spend 40% of your time on strategy—checking alignment with your product vision, identifying risks, and influencing outcomes

• Spend 60% of your time on execution—driving milestones, refining the product, and ensuring delivery

I’ve found that without stepping back regularly to revisit the strategy, it’s easy to waste time building the wrong thing.

Mastering Soft Skills

‼️Your technical skills will help you launch your career. But your soft skills—like influence, decision-making, and communication—are what unlock leadership‼️

Key Soft Skills Every PM Needs

✅ Decision-Making: Balance diverse perspectives, assess trade-offs, and make thoughtful decisions

✅ Building Consensus & Relationships: Bring cross-functional teams together, even when opinions conflict

✅ Influence: Rally teams behind your ideas (even when you have no formal authority)

✅ Resourcefulness: Learn to thrive with limited resources—especially at startups or in scrappy environments

✅ Running Effective Meetings & Presentations: Guide conversations toward outcomes and ensure leadership understands key decisions

✅ Writing Skills: Great PMs are great communicators—whether in product briefs, documentation, or emails

Hard Skills: Your Technical Toolkit

PMs don’t need to be expert coders, but understanding technical foundations is key. I break technical skills into five categories:

1. Engineering & Technology: Coding basics, APIs, system architecture, and development processes

2. User Experience (UX): Wireframing, user research, and design systems

3. Business: Product strategy, growth tactics, and go-to-market planning

4. Data & Analytics: Defining KPIs, running A/B tests, and analyzing user behavior

5. Project Management: Agile methodologies, sprint planning, and risk management

The key? Identify where you're strong—and where you need to grow.

The PM Growth Map: Where Are You Now?

I always advise aspiring PMs to map their strengths. Draw five circles—one for each key area:

• Engineering & Tech

• UX & Design

• Business Strategy

• Data & Analytics

• Project Management

Now, rate yourself from 1 to 5 in each. Where are you strongest? Where are your gaps?

When I first joined Meta, I knew I excelled at UX and strategy—but I was a 2/5 in technical knowledge. So, I focused on learning system architecture and APIs. By filling that gap, I became a stronger communicator with my engineering team and improved my impact as a PM.

Final Thought: Skill Growth is a Journey

Early on, I believed success as a PM was about being the smartest person in the room. Now I know the truth: It’s about being the most adaptable, curious, and open-minded person in the room.

Wherever you are in your PM journey, ask yourself: "Which skills do I need to sharpen next?"

What’s one soft skill and one hard skill you can actively develop this month to improve your PM craft?

Curious about advancing your PM skills? Start by mapping your strengths and filling those gaps. Growth happens one skill at a time! 🌱