Hiring product management talent can be one of the most challenging tasks for any startup. That’s why our Product Practice has been so successful—we bridge the gap between finding the right hire and actually making that hire.
Most of our clients are data-driven, pragmatic leaders, often with an engineering background. They tend to evaluate candidates based on metrics, data points, and company brands. While these factors are essential, it’s often a candidate’s soft skills that determine whether a good candidate becomes a *great* hire, a good product manager becomes a *great* product leader, and a *good* product evolves a *great* one.
This article explores the top 6 product manager soft skills that should be at the forefront of your hiring process.
1. Ability to Explain Complex Ideas Simply
One of the most critical product manager soft skills is the ability to distill complex concepts into simple, digestible ideas. Product managers act as a bridge between various teams, including engineering, design, marketing, and leadership. These teams often have different levels of technical expertise and distinct priorities. A great product manager can simplify intricate product features, technical challenges, or market research to ensure everyone understands the goals and next steps.
This skill is vital for collaboration and decision-making, as it prevents misunderstandings and ensures that teams can move forward in alignment. Whether explaining a complex technical solution to non-technical stakeholders or summarizing user research findings, a product manager must be able to communicate with clarity and precision.
2. Active Listening
Active listening is another soft skill that distinguishes great product managers from the rest. This means fully engaging with what stakeholders, customers, and team members are saying. They also ask insightful questions and reflect on the feedback before acting.
Active listening enables product managers to identify user pain points, gather insights from engineers, and understand business needs, ensuring the product truly aligns with customer demands and strategic objectives. When product managers actively listen, they uncover key details that may otherwise be overlooked, which helps them make more informed decisions and build products that meet diverse needs.
3. Providing Clear Feedback
Feedback is essential in product development, and providing clear, actionable feedback is one of a product manager’s most important soft skills. A great PM knows how to offer specific and focused guidance, whether giving feedback to their team on product features, communicating user feedback to designers, or aligning with leadership on business goals.
Clear feedback fosters continuous improvement, accelerates decision-making, and avoids misunderstandings. By clearly communicating expectations, product managers align the team with the product vision and goals, leading to better execution and a stronger product.
4. Adapting Communication Style to Different Audiences
A product manager communicates with a wide range of stakeholders, from engineers and designers to executives and customers. Each of these groups has different priorities and technical knowledge. The ability to adapt communication style to suit different audiences is an invaluable product manager soft skill.
For instance, when speaking to developers, a PM might delve into the technical aspects of a feature, while presenting the same feature to an executive team would require a focus on business impact and customer benefits. Tailoring communication ensures everyone is on the same page and allows for more effective collaboration, decision-making, and alignment across the company.
5. Acknowledging Different Perspectives
Great product managers know how to consider and incorporate different perspectives when making decisions. Whether it’s understanding customer feedback, acknowledging an engineer’s concerns about feasibility, or considering a marketing team’s insights on user trends, this skill allows PMs to build more inclusive, usercentered products.
By being open to different viewpoints, product managers build trust and empathy, both within their teams and with their customers. This not only strengthens the product but also fosters a collaborative, innovative work environment where everyone feels heard and valued.
6. Managing Without Authority
One of the most unique challenges product managers face is leading cross-functional teams without direct authority over them. They rely on influence, trust, and collaboration to drive outcomes rather than formal power. This is why managing without authority is a critical soft skill for product managers.
A great product manager can inspire and motivate their teams, align various stakeholders around a common goal, and influence decision-making without directly controlling resources or team members. By building strong relationships and fostering collaboration, product managers ensure that everyone works toward the product’s success, even in the absence of formal leadership authority.
While technical expertise, data-driven decision-making, and market knowledge are important when hiring a product manager, soft skills are what turn a good hire into a great one. From simplifying complex ideas to managing without authority, these soft skills enable product managers to lead effectively, foster collaboration, and ultimately drive product success.
By focusing on product manager soft skills in your hiring process, you’ll find a candidate who can execute tasks and also lead, inspire, and elevate your team and product to new heights. Struggling to find a Product Manager with the right blend of technical and soft skills? See the top three reasons we are the #1 Product Recruiters in North America.