An Introverted Product Manager
I’m too shy to talk in meetings!
I can vividly remember this line ringing through my ears on my first day as a Product Manager. How will I communicate to my team members let alone manage them? I was terrified and my heart was pounding like crazy.
And this is how I feel 80% of the time. I consider myself an extremely shy and introverted person. I also get panic attacks talking in a social gathering, which is why I am surprised to this day as to why I decided to be Product Manager.
Who is a Product Manager?
Wikipedia defined a Product Manager as a professional who is responsible for the development of products in an organization. To achieve this, they communicate with and coordinate the work done by other divisions i.e Engineering, Sales, Marketing, etc.
This means a core function of Product Management is the need to communicate. Either verbally or written. As an introvert, this was quite challenging because my first instinct was to stay silent in conversations and listen unless I could add value to it. This was difficult as I was supposed to bring people together for a shared purposed, hence the need to communicate!
If I wasn’t talking in meetings, how would they know the right direction to go? I was supposed to be a leader? You can see how tricky this was, yes? It affected my progress with my line manager as I didn’t give reports and just did my own thing hoping that the results at the end of the day would prove my hard work.
I’m sure a lot of us can relate to this. However, I knew I had to break out of my shell and communicate better to improve product development. Doing this helped improve my self-esteem and confidence in gatherings.
Here are 3 things I learned in communicating better as an Introverted Product Manager
1. Take a deep breath!
I feel like this act is always overlooked and I cannot but over-emphasise the importance of taking deep breaths before speaking, especially if you’re nervous. Scientifically, it’s been proven that taking deep breaths sends signals to your brain to relax which also reduces your increased heart rate and high blood pressure. This improves your confidence.
So always remember to take a deep breath before speaking.
2. Start small!
I didn’t just wake up one day and go hey, I’m going to start talking to everyone or in every meeting. No! I started small and slow. I had a conversation with my line manager on my introverted personality and we agreed on starting with written reports, rather than speaking.
So I had to make it a conscious effort to write my reports or communicate in writing. This helped ease the tension with the team and before I knew it, I was talking to them freely, both individually and in meetings.
Getting comfortable with your team members would also help you communicate better. So it wouldn’t hurt to go for lunch breaks or hang out with the team once in a while.
3. Leverage on having an introverted personality!
As introverts, we tend to listen first before talking. I utilize this in everything I do as a Product Manager. So, when relating to customers or the team, I ask questions first and get to know their opinions before voicing out my suggestions. This kind of builds a trust system in them and it helps get a better understanding of solving their problems. Also in times of crises, I tend to keep my calm and think of the best solutions, rather than escalate the issues and impose fear in the team.
In conclusion, being an introvert or any personality type in general, shouldn’t disrupt your work process. The passion and ability to perform should drive you to build on this.
You have to make a conscious decision to leverage your personality and bring out the best in you.
❤, Ayomide.
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