What A Director Of Product At Stiddle Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Product Management Industry
Joshua, a Director of Product at Stiddle, learned that success in the product industry hinges on "building long-term relationships" and skillful leadership, moving beyond solely "data-driven decisions" to cultivate strategic alliances and navigate power dynamics effectively. This requires a blend of "data science" and interpersonal "art," a lesson learned through experience.
Leadership, Relationship Building, Data-Driven Decision Making, Strategic Alliances, People Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Joshua Han
Director of Product
Stiddle
UC Berkeley
N/A
Political Science, American Studies
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Building strong relationships is crucial for success, not just focusing on numbers.
2. Good leadership involves making data-driven decisions but also understanding and utilizing relationships and power dynamics.
3. Product management is a blend of data science and an art of building strategic relationships.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
I think something I've learned the hard way about product and being a founder is learning how to use the people around you to your best advantage. I don't mean this in a transactional way, but rather treating people the right way. Building long-term relationships is more important than just being focused on the numbers.
Being a product manager and a founder is also about being a good leader. Sometimes you need to make data-driven decisions; that's an essential part of the job. But beyond that, it's important to consider relationships, power dynamics, and strategic alliances you could be building.
This is where it becomes more of an art than data science.