What are soft skills in Product Management?

Soft skills for Product Managers 

What are Soft Skills in Product Management?

Soft skills refer to a set of non-technical abilities that allow Product Managers to effectively manage their teams, collaborate with stakeholders, and deliver products that meet customer needs. Soft skills can include communication, empathy, active listening, problem-solving, negotiation, leadership, and more.

How are Soft Skills applied in Product Management?

Being a Product Manager is a complex role and requires more than just technical know-how. From communicating Product Vision to developing Product Sense, from presenting a Product Strategy and leading a team to handling stakeholders, you’re going to need to deploy skills that go beyond what you can learn in a textbook. But it’s not true that soft skills cannot be taught: By learning from top Product Leaders and watching successful communicators in action, you can develop the knack for leading through influence, resolving conflict and making decisions that benefit your entire team.

Why are Soft Skills important in Product Management?

While technical skills are important for Product Managers, soft skills are just as critical. In fact, the ability to communicate effectively, build relationships, and lead through influence can be the difference between success and failure in Product Management. Soft skills allow Product Managers to navigate challenging situations, build strong teams, and create products that meet customer needs.

When to utilize Soft Skills in Product Management?

Soft skills are critical for Product Managers in all stages of the Product Development cycle, from ideation to launch and beyond. Effective communication, for example, is essential for gathering feedback from customers and stakeholders, while empathy can help Product Managers better understand customer needs and pain points. Leading through influence is also critical for managing cross-functional teams, driving alignment, and getting buy-in for key decisions.

Soft skills in action

“While the ability to code can help a Product Manager in their role, it’s the so-called soft skills such as empathy and communication that really makes Jane stand out.”

Soft skills related video