Fabian Lua’s Post

Tough conversations are ……tough to have but let’s have it Role expectations of a Product Manager: 👎 Creating a perfect product. 👎 Delivering all features on time. 👎 Pleasing every stakeholder. 👎 Being the expert in all areas. 👎 Avoiding failure at all costs. Actual responsibilities of a Product Manager: 👍 Creating value for users and the business. 👍 Prioritizing features based on user needs and business objectives. 👍 Building cross-functional collaboration and alignment. 👍 Iterating and improving the product over time. 👍 Embracing failure as a learning opportunity and adapting accordingly Talk to me, what's one thing you didn't see coming when you started your job? 

Happy New Year to all! 🌟 As we step into 2024, a special shoutout to those considering a transition into Product Management. Remember… … your unique background is not a barrier but a treasure trove of valuable skills and perspectives. Whether you’re from engineering, marketing, design, or any other field, your experiences can enrich your journey in Product Management. The key ingredient? A deep and genuine interest in the field. Passion and curiosity can take you far, often further than you might think. So, if Product Management excites you, don’t hold back because of your past experiences. Embrace them as strengths that can propel you forward in this dynamic and rewarding career path. Here’s to a year of new adventures and turning passions into realities! 🚀

Embarking on my journey as a Product Manager, let's begin by delving into the introduction of Product Management. CWW Tech Africa Anyadike Esther 🚀 Elevating Product Management Essentials 🚀 lets Diving into the core of Product Management: Definition: Unpacking the essence of Product Management – the strategic orchestration of a product's lifecycle. Product Insights: Understanding the intricate nature of 'product' and its pivotal role in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Product Managers Unveiled: Identifying the key player – the Product Manager, a visionary orchestrator ensuring seamless product development and delivery. Managerial Roles: Exploring the multifaceted responsibilities of a Product Manager, from conceptualization to market success. Inquisitive Minds: Delving into the critical questions a Product Manager asks, shaping the trajectory of product evolution. Embark on a journey through the realms of Product Management, where strategy meets innovation.

I'm excited to share a bit more about my adventure diving into the world of product management! It's been quite the ride, full of ups, downs, and a ton of learning along the way. From day one, I've been hooked on the idea of understanding what truly resonates with users, figuring out their needs, and crafting solutions that truly make a difference. It's been a journey of discovery, with each day bringing new challenges and opportunities to grow. One big lesson that's really stuck with me is the power of staying curious. Whether it's digging into user feedback, exploring new technologies, or keeping an eye on industry trends, curiosity has been my secret weapon, helping me uncover insights and ideas that have shaped our products for the better. But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. I've had my fair share of setbacks and failures along the way. But you know what? Those moments have been some of the most valuable. They've taught me resilience, the importance of bouncing back stronger than ever. And let's not forget the incredible teams I've had the pleasure of working with. Collaborating with people from different backgrounds and skill sets has been eye-opening. It's shown me just how powerful teamwork can be when everyone's on the same page, working towards a common goal. Of course, at the end of the day, it's all about the users. They're the ones we're building these products for, after all. Keeping their needs front and center in everything we do has been key to our success. As I continue on this journey, I'm grateful for the opportunities to learn, grow, and make a real impact. Here's to embracing every challenge, seizing every opportunity, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in product management!

🚀 "A Day in the Life of a Product Manager! 🌟 Ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a Product Manager? 🤔 Join me on a journey through the exciting daily routine that fuels product innovation and success! 🏆 🕘 Morning: Plan, prioritize, and align with the team. 📊 Late Morning: Analyze data, gather user feedback, and fine-tune the roadmap. 🗓️ Afternoon: Collaborate with cross-functional teams and embrace challenges. 🚀 Late Afternoon: Nurture innovation and adapt with an Agile mindset. 📝 Evening: Reflect, plan, celebrate wins, and prepare for tomorrow! This is a perfect day for a PM, but remember, it's okay to miss something sometimes. What matters is striving to reach this perfect day, continuously growing as a Product Manager! 🌈

Autonomy, opportunity and support. Time and again Product Managers list these 3 factors as being critical for staying in a role. Autonomy: The trust and space to use their skills and make decisions without micromanagement or a 'feature factory' approach. Opportunity: To grow in their role, be exposed to new challenges and have visibility over how their career might develop. Support: Accesses to support and training that enables them to rise to challenges, grow their skill set and progress in their careers Without these things product people quickly become restless and start looking for other opportunities. How much time are you investing in training and coaching your team? (Photo is me teaching my daughter to ski this Christmas 😍 )

Just finished the course “Transitioning to Product Management”! As I dive deeper into product development and management responsibilities in my current role as an APM, this course has provided me with valuable insights and advanced strategies to enhance my skills. 

🏃♂️🏞️ Lessons from a 20km mountain trail run ⛰️ Last Saturday, I tackled a grueling 20km trail run in the mountains, braving challenging weather conditions. Despite the rain, snow, mud and wind, I pressed on, drawing parallels between this adventure and my role as a Product Manager. Goal Setting: Like planning a trail run, clear objectives are crucial in product management. Whether conquering a mountain or launching a new product feature, having a defined goal keeps me focused. Adaptability: Just as trail running demands quick adaptation to changing terrain, product management requires flexibility in response to market dynamics. Team Collaboration: Trail running, like product management, thrives on teamwork. Collaboration across teams enhances performance and drives success. Resilience: Overcoming obstacles in trail running builds resilience, a trait equally valuable in navigating setbacks in product management. Celebrating Milestones: Crossing the finish line in a trail run is akin to celebrating product milestones, fostering a culture of achievement and motivation. Despite the weather, the trail run reinforced valuable lessons that I apply to my professional journey, fueling my drive to innovate and overcome challenges.

… BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST STORY HERE Every professional has a story to tell, and I am no exception. Today, I want to share with you how I became a product manager. It all started with my passion for management. I have always loved to create, organise and optimise things, whether they are people, resources, goals or solutions (I still love to do those). I have a curious and analytical mind that seeks growth and perfection in everything I do. This passion led me to work on projects and volunteer for various causes. Along the way, I met some fantastic people who became my mentors and guides Ashiwel Okang Ochui Ransom Ahanmisi Sogo Owolabi PMP® Emmanuel Ututu. They taught me valuable lessons and inspired me to reach higher. I owe a lot to my bosses Ibuanuoluwa Olawuyi of Yuecook, Titilayo Adedeji of The Corinths Humanitarian Foundation, Imoleayo Adeyemi of YEX singles Exclusive, Ransom Ahanmisi of Looks.ng and many others who supported me and helped me flourish. One day, I got an offer that changed my life. It was an opportunity to enter the world of tech, a domain I had always been fascinated by but have yet to explore. And the role that I was offered was product management, a discipline that combines creativity, strategy and problem-solving. With my experience in the food industry, this was the perfect way to get into tech: by creating products that solve real problems and delight customers. I decided to take the plunge and embark on this new adventure. And what an adventure it has been! For almost two years now, I have been learning and growing as a product manager. Every day is a new challenge and an opportunity to improve myself and my products. I have to keep up with the latest trends and technologies, understand the needs and preferences of my users, collaborate with different teams and stakeholders, test and iterate on my ideas, measure and communicate my results, and, most importantly, enjoy the process. It has been a transformational journey for me, both personally and professionally. I have become a better person, a better product manager, and so excited to know that this is just the beginning of my new career path and the many opportunities it offers.

I used to think that my job as a product manager was to come up with all the brilliant ideas on how to make innovative solutions happen. But more and more, I’ve learned that this couldn't be further from the truth. 🚀 My role is, of course, with the help of the team and the users, to define what we want to build and why it matters. It’s about helping the team understand and bridge the gap between our vision, the pain points we’re solving for our users, and why we believe this will bring the outcomes we aim for. But the way those problems are solved is best left to a great cross-functional team and not necessarily to the product manager. 🧩✨ This became very clear when I was at a training the other week, absent from day-to-day work. Meanwhile, the team discussed and came up with brilliant ideas on improving our machine learning models, how to improve the UI for a particular workflow, or help reduce technical debt. I was truly impressed! Not only that, but they’re about to experiment with some of those truly new ideas in the next two days in our internal hackathon. I wish them the best of luck with the experiments. 🛠️💡 I’m so proud of my team and the satisfaction I feel, realizing that it is all about helping to build the environment where these ideas can emerge. I read a lot about this in many leadership advice articles, but it’s energizing to experience it firsthand. Plus, I’m excited to see what other problems the team will solve in a creative way next. From now on, my mantra is to fully focus on the “what” and the “why,” guide where needed, and then step out of the way so they can make magic happen. ✨👏 (Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash)