In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board member Red Russak and Soumeya Benghanem welcome Valery (Larry) Karpiyevich (Store No. 8) to talk about why soft skills matter in product management. Technical knowledge, background, and field experience are key points to have but the ability to motivate, unite, and keep the team working together despite challenges and difficulties along the way is as valuable as any other skill.

Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.

What to Listen For:

00:00 Intro
08:52 The importance of soft skills for PMs
14:36 Listen without judgment
16:36 Ways to improve your listening skills
24:23 How to support your team’s mental health
35:21 Tools and frameworks to drive inclusivity
38:40 Style and frameworks for managing stakeholders
46:21 Our concluding thoughts

47: The Soft Skills That Matter in Product Management