In the eyes of the scholar Wang Guowei, life has triple realm, “last night the West wind wither green trees, alone on the high-rise, looking at the end of the world road.” This is the first level. “I have no regrets. I am pining away for Iraq.” This is the second level. “He found thousands of baidu, suddenly look back, that man was in the lights dim.” This is the third level.
The threefold realm here refers to that when everyone is confused and has no direction, he keeps exploring and finally determines the direction and sets up his ambition. At this time you are pure and sincere, see the mountain is the mountain, see the water is water. At the stage of knowing oneself and the world. Start all over again. You keep learning and accumulating.
I found my lifelong faith, my unwavering devotion. Even if the strip is not regret, for their own ideals. You think you can do anything. You think a lot, you look at the mountain and you think about what’s behind the mountain, and you look at the water and you think about what’s underneath the water. That is, mountains are not mountains, and water is not water.
Eventually, with repeated exploration, focus, and homework, you will suddenly find something. Only then can you see the essence of everything, understand your own insignificance in the world, and look at the world and the people and things around you more objectively. See mountains or mountains, see water or water.
As a product manager, I understand that there is also such a threefold realm.
First: as a sharp tool product manager
Product managers at this stage typically work for 1-3 years and are new to the industry. No matter where you are placed, you will always be able to learn quickly and do the work assigned to you. Execution is off the charts, making yourself the sharp knife that every leader wants to use. You need to execute well and understand how everything works in the company. It includes products, operations, business, finance, revenue and so on. At this stage of your career, whether large or small, your greatest attribute is your ability to do 100% of what is asked of you.
Over time, your knowledge will grow, your strategic vision will grow, and you will be able to think more broadly. You will enter the second level.
Second: as a product manager leading product development
Product managers at this stage typically work for three to five years as mid-level leaders, in charge of a product team or in charge of a product line. You basically have a few people working for you, so you don’t have to do a lot of execution. You have to be a good general. To subordinates, you are the leader, who must be able to guide the growth of new people and give them direction. To the boss, you are the product owner who must deliver results and meet kpIs. When it comes to products, you are the one who has the most say. You can deploy the team and determine the direction of development. At this time, you are not only managing the product, but also managing the team and an army. Victory depends entirely on your command.
Third: as a resource-led product manager
The average product manager at this stage has worked for more than five years. In the workplace, they are usually product director or product president, or they start their own business. You don’t have to worry about interactions and experiences. You leave them to the product manager below. I don’t do detailed execution work. It’s more about which products have the greatest growth potential, which product lines to focus on, which points to increase revenue from, and how to make the best use of the resources on hand.
At this point, either party’s company or party b’s company, you will know a lot of people, whether they are customers, channels or other partners. Sometimes a chance to cooperate with each other can make your product grow a hundred times over. For example, there are stable advertising channels with low prices, customer resources with tens of millions of budgets, or the flow entrance of a-level companies, as well as the joint transport qualification of top game companies and so on.
You have resources at your disposal, either from the company itself or from your own personal savings. You’ve leveraged those resources to take your product to unprecedented heights. That is the mission of this phase. That’s when you’re most likely to start a business.
These three realms may not only apply to the post of product manager, but also have certain reference significance for career development. So in the different stages of life, we should do different things, if too early can feel life boring. If ignorant, has been in place. Only determined the direction of the journey after indomitable, to see the most beautiful scenery!