87: Emotional Product Management

Applications for the Inclusive Product Management Accelerator open June 8th. Learn more at foster.uw.edu/ipm-accelerator

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board members Red Russak and  Soumeya Benghanem welcome Avinoam Zelenko (LinkedIn) as they discuss the emotional side of product management. Successful PMs understand user frustrations, desires, and aspirations, using emotional insight to improve the product. They foster collaboration and motivation through empathy, active listening, and effective communication. Moreover, they prioritize self-care, embracing self-compassion to navigate challenges and setbacks, benefiting personal growth and effective leadership.

Disclaimer: All opinions of the speakers are their own.

What to Listen For:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:38 Emotional side of product management
• 07:43 ELMR framework
• 11:39 Focus on internal work too
• 13:40 Kindness is clarity
• 16:04 How to be kind when others are not?
• 20:20 Get feedback from close people and mimic how others interact with certain personalities
• 22:15 How salespeople manage their emotions?
• 26:42 Balancing emotions of external and internal stakeholders
• 33:58 Let your team be comfortable to ask questions
• 35:02 Showing your emotions when applying for a remote PM role
• 41:24 “Intuition is more important than being data driven…”
• 50:51 Can emotions help measure success and risk?
• 53:35 Final thoughts