How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome in Product Management

Every person who comes into a role should reshape it in their own image — especially for those in software product management. Yet as they begin defining their organizational role, product managers often struggle with imposter syndrome. How to overcome this limitation, and build towards success, requires self-awareness, patience, and equal doses of generosity and empathy.

The Roots of Imposter Syndrome in Product Management

First described by psychologists in the 1970s, imposter syndrome typically describes high achieving individuals who can’t internalize or accept their success. It's a term that gets thrown around a lot in professional circles, but can be particularly acute within product management. A recent survey of PM well-being indicates 40% struggle with imposter syndrome frequently or all the time. 

Product management is a set of principles about using power to get customers what they want — even when they don’t know what they want. Given that customers often don’t know what they want, it’s easy to see why product managers struggle with their own legitimacy. It doesn’t help when product strategy changes frequently, and it’s difficult to get consensus on product direction.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

For PMs, their role is not so much about the individual who comes into it, but about the needs of the organization and how the product manager can be of service. When you focus on helping others, there’s not a lot of room for imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome is really another form of selfishness. It makes product management and the individual filling the role two different things, which is the wrong way to look at it. How to become a better product manager shouldn’t center on process or tactics. Instead, it requires building product management skills that are about being a better leader and being more generous with your time and your empathy: these skills include emotional intelligence, negotiation, patience (this comes up a lot), responsibility, and above all, curiosity. A good way overcome imposter syndrome and become a better product manager is to gather feedback in multiple ways.

Talk to People 

Go out and talk to the people. Interview your important stakeholders both internally and externally. Find out what they need to succeed. What are their expectations for product management? How have they worked with other people who were previously in your role? What worked? What didn’t? Take the information you get from those interviews and look for commonalities and make connections across agendas. Let that become your agenda to prioritize and drive you forward, where you're representing those constituents and those stakeholders in discussions about prioritization and resources. 

Build Your Personal Brand with 360 Interviews

Conduct a 360. Not in the traditional sense of asking people what you do and don’t do well.  Instead, think about your personal brand and the words you want to be associated with your brand: Are you creative? Energetic? Loyal? Helpful? 

Anonymous Surveys

Create a Google survey or another inexpensive tool and send it to coworkers for anonymous feedback. Ask them to select your three top traits. The goal is to discover your qualities that other people value that you may not recognize or take for granted. Maybe your peers believe your most important characteristic is trustworthiness. Yet you might think it's your work ethic. To use power effectively, it’s critical to understand how you're seen by others. 

Be a Better Leader

Once you’ve gathered all this feedback, let it help you decide what kind of leader you want to be, and re-set expectations — for yourself, your team, and your organization. Identify what you can and can’t control. Improve the things you can and accept the things you can’t. Update your priorities and your own personal roadmap for professional growth. 

Product Management Coaching

Sound like too much to take on by yourself? We can help. Whether it’s conducting the surveys or developing your personal roadmap, our product management coaching program is available for groups and individuals. It’s a three month program that transcends traditional leadership training. We connect you with an experienced product mentor to coach you towards measurable progress on your organization’s OKRs/KPIs, help you grow in confidence, and ensure you provide value to your organization. 

In the meantime, you can download our free product coaching workbook: The 12 Steps to Managing Your Most Important Product - You. It’s a guide to help you be the best version of yourself as a product manager and leader.