What accomplishment in your product management career has brought you the highest level of satisfaction and joy? Can you narrate why?

The first Ather Community Day in January 2023. It was a hypothesis from my team that we are in a unique place as an Auto OEM that has built an organic community. We wanted to engineer & engage with the community as a medium of storytelling for the brand, and it was a successful POC. It has given impetus with the org to look at it seriously and to scale it up quickly.

What aspect of  product management did you struggle the most with? How did you overcome  it?

Making decisions quickly. I started applying the Pareto principle - you focus on the few more important items that will generate the most significant results. Over time, I've also built a strong gut feel for making decisions quickly that mostly right.

What's one common  myth about product management that you find common among aspiring PMs.

The most common myth is that you have a lot of authority as the "CEO" as the product. You actually do not have authority, but you have a lot of influence, and the most important skill to learn is "Influencing without Authority".

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What are some common  pitfalls that product managers must be aware of?

You may be late to the market in search for perfection/You product may be too half-baked to create traction or any actionable insights. Most PMs fail to balance between the two. The other common pitfall is delaying critical decisions for too long in wait for data. Sometimes, just taking a decision is more important that taking a 100% right decision.

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If not product  management, what career would you have picked? Are there any complimentary skillsets that you see between being a PM and your alternate choice?

Business Owner. The complementary skill sets are - how do you create a scalable, sustainable business out of an idea. How do you choose between a MVP to get an early mover advantage or perfecting the product to deliver the best experience.

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What is something  about product management that you wish you knew when you started out?

The complete picture from inception of an idea to shipping the product to the field. I had to learn it in phases with a lot of trial and error.