I like to joke that I “crossed over to the dark side” by becoming a PM. It has been 8 years since working as an engineer. I recently dug out an article that I wrote at the beginning of my PM career to help me remember what a good PM looked like to me from the perspective of an engineer.
- Someone who believed in you and respected you.
- Someone who listened and appreciated your ideas + work and gave you the opportunity to shine + showcase your work.
- Someone who understood what you were doing and could give you good suggestions/recommendations to simplify or speed up your work.
- Someone who made quick decisions on how to proceed based on solid reasoning/logic.
- Someone who could sit with you and troubleshoot by asking the right questions and calling in the right people to help.
- Someone who removes roadblocks, gets you moving and on your way.
- Someone who managed upper level expectations and let the most important things trickle down to you.
Revisiting the list that I wrote many years ago feels as relevant today as it did back then. I also realized that being a PM is more than just a job — it is a leadership role. It is an important calling. It makes such a big difference in the lives of engineers. PMing is the art of getting people, processes and products to assimilate together in sync to create beautiful music that touches the hearts of people. What song will you be singing today? What song will you be enabling in the hearts of others today? :)
