SVPG partner Christian Idiodi outlines the only two career paths that produce high-caliber product managers.
Insight
Idiodi: Executive-driven product happens when PMs fail to earn decision rights
“When we see sales or executive driven product management, when we see these alternatives to product management, it's not a cultural knock or a leadership knock. It's really on the individual and the discipline has to elevate itself to a place that it earns the…”
Insight
Idiodi: 6-8 B2B or 15-25 B2C reference customers indicate product-market fit
“For B to B, I want six to eight references. For B to C, I want, you know, maybe 15 to 25 references as an indication that we've achieved product market fit.”
Opinion
Idiodi: People dislike PMs because they haven't worked with competent ones
“I think most people don't like product managers often because they haven't experienced good product managers.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Idiodi: I have zero product failures using reference customer discovery
“I have never had a product failure using this technique. If I were to credit, I, you know, goodness, I think the last count, I'm up to like, 205 products I have worked on or participated in creating, you know, in my career.”
Insight
Idiodi: A feature should only be built if all reference customers want it
“All 25 have to want the same thing. If one person's out, you just don't do it at all. And the reason that's powerful is because if I come to you and I say, hey, it's missing this feature. I say, well, you have 25 people that look like you that are very happy w…”
Insight
Idiodi: Manually solving customer problems beats theoretical user research frameworks
“There's nothing better in learning how to solve a problem than trying to solve the problem. You know, just, you will get all the answers, the research, the failure, the mistakes, you know, all the evidence.”