Ego and Product Don’t Mix

This is why you can't have an out-of-control ego as a Product Manager. Your self-worth can't be hinged on you needing to be right all the time.

From my perspective, 'Leadership' really means listening-to and incorporating the best ideas available to you. Those can come from your team, from analytics, and in the form of qualitative feedback like stakeholder interviews, customer surveys or reviews. Sometimes all of them all at once.

Problem is, it's hard to let go of your ego when you think you've made a significant contribution to how decisions are made. The ego wants to be recognized for your hard work, and possibly rightfully so - but unfortunately, the Product role can be a bit harsh in that the best work comes out of the skills from everyone else on the team working together, and not just from your contributions.

All the other folks that you work with, like designers, developers, QA, scrum masters... they rightfully get the credit, and the Product Manager kind stands in the background looking on with a goofy smile like they're a part of the team of superstars around them.

It's not that we do nothing, quite the contrary. Product people happen to act as the glue of the team, helping everyone stay focused and continuously build consensus through persuasion and communication, the sharing of ideas, the prioritization of directions from the perspective of the user as well as the interests of the business. It's really difficult to do, but when done well goes mostly unseen by those who look in from the outside.

Personally I think just getting used to seeing your team create & maintain a product that finds its market fit and retains its customers is satisfaction enough.