While there are undoubtedly many different perspectives on what makes a great product manager, those with an entrepreneurial mindset tend to be the most successful. In many ways, 一个伟大的产品经理本质上是一个内部企业家, 坚持不懈地支持产品创意, 从灵感中创造价值. 虽然这在上下文中可能有些明显 startup rising like a rocket ship, it’s equally important in mid-to-large size organizations as well.

脑海中浮现的典型画面, 当想到一个成功的企业家心态, 这是一个冒险的梦想家，以不懈的精力和动力追求机会——最终享受巨大的成功——克服一切困难吗. While the reality is often far less glamorous for entrepreneurs working in the trenches of the modern business world, 这些特质往往是获胜的动力 product leaders.

Product Manager Is a Storyteller

It’s easy to look back at a particularly successful product and think that success was inevitable. 但是从产品创业的角度来看, 当产品经理手中唯一的东西就是一个想法的种子, 前面的道路充满了危险. Will this idea soar like the next Google Search or sink like the next Google Glass?

在最好的时候预测未来几乎是不可能的，但当有大量的时间和金钱投入时, 要想承担这种风险，需要有钢铁般的意志. Add in the organization’s internal resistance to change which new ideas often encounter and the risks multiply. 具有创业精神的产品经理不仅认识到这一现实，他们还将其视为最可靠的标志，表明他们正走在通往成功和潜在成功的正确道路上 groundbreaking product idea.

Risk is one of those barriers to entry that helps keep competitors at bay and makes a product idea worth pursuing. Being aware of and mitigating that risk is a core responsibility of an entrepreneurial product manager.

那么，你如何“融入”一个新的产品理念呢? The key to convincing both yourself and others about the power of your idea is to develop the story around it. While the immediate product manager approach may be to develop user stories, be sure to tell The Story 在深入到用例细节之前，在更高的层次上对思想进行讨论. The Story you’ll develop is more than an elevator pitch but much less than a business plan. 它必须清晰、简洁、引人注目. 以这种方式讲述故事有助于在组织内部形成对概念的共同理解，并突出其潜力. Be sure to focus on the value that the product idea will bring to clients as you develop the story around it. Also, be sure to confront challenges to the idea and potential risks head-on by folding them into the overall story.

Distilling the Product Vision

The ability to metaphorically get inside a client’s mind and see what an idea can become, 在这种情况下，考虑组织的战略目标和潜在的市场是成为一个有远见的人的根本. The challenge is whether or not the vision can be translated into a real product that a real market is willing to buy.

为一个产品提炼出一个清晰而引人注目的愿景，就像当一个伟大的产品创意只是抽象存在时，识别它的困难一样. 不同之处在于，这种愿景延伸到产品的第一次迭代之后，并延伸到相邻的产品中, categories, markets. 决定一个产品长大后应该是什么样子, 具有创业精神的产品经理根据这个愿景来定义“可能的艺术”，并最终将其提炼为“可能的艺术”.

How do you define the probable? After you’ve developed The Story around the near-term value of the idea, project that thinking further out into the future. Think of compelling examples of what the product can be two, three, five years from now. 它会对使用该产品的人产生什么影响? 该产品能否成为未来创意或其他产品的平台? 随着产品的成熟，市场和产品会发生什么变化?

一旦你思考了未来的可能性, 将这些想法分解成实现目标所需要的逻辑步骤. 细化愿景并将其分解为各个组成部分，有助于清晰地描绘出如何实现目标以及如何将可能细化为可能.

发现新机会的习惯

“肯定有更好的办法”一直是许多企业家的口头禅. Steve Jobs’ return to Apple 以他对随身听的灵感重新构想为标志. He felt there had to be a better way to enjoy music on-the-go than fumbling with tapes, batteries, and clumsy headphones. Turns out, he was onto something.

吸收日常经验的能力, deconstruct them, and put forward that “better way,是企业家和有灵感的产品经理的另一个标志. “It can’t be done” or “We’ve always done it this way” are clear indications of the next opportunity. 更重要的是，它成为了观察世界的镜头. 无论是小功能还是大产品, the best product managers can’t help but look at each and every challenge as an opportunity to make things better.

发现你周围的机会类似于养成一种习惯. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes until you can’t help but see that the world is full of potential. 在“一定有更好的方法”的概念背后，隐藏着对当前做事方式的挫败感. Be aware of, and try to tune into, those hints of frustration as a cue to the next opportunity. 让它成为每天的焦点，不久你就会发现机会无处不在.

在某些情况下，你的客户会很坦率地表达他们的不满. 但找出更微妙的瓶颈，看清它们的本质，可以带来显著的产品和收入增长.

Infectious Energy and Collaboration

Not surprisingly, 产品经理通常是许多不同涉众之间的关键人物, particularly engineering, marketing, sales, and clients. 与这么多功能协作, especially when your role as a product manager has no direct authority over the participants, requires energy, drive, and dogged persistence.

总会有一些时候，事情陷入困境，前进的动力减慢. Things take longer than anticipated or an unforeseen technical difficulty arises and must be addressed. 对行动的强烈偏好和卷起袖子埋头工作的意愿有助于保持势头，这种势头本身就能创造能量，并推动团队完成任务.

有无数著名企业家的故事，他们曾经陷入困境，但通过坚定的决心和纯粹的意志力，他们成功地把一切都保持在了一起. 虽然产品经理的英雄事迹并不多见，但我敢打赌，在许多这些火试的幕后，都有一位产品经理.

Persevere During Hard Times

首先要记住的是，产品管理是一项团队运动. 把团队聚集在一起，集思广益，想出解决问题的新办法. 不要犹豫，也可以联系其他团队, particularly if their areas of expertise are different from the core team’s capabilities.

Many times, product delivery dates slip because the code is being delivered late to the QA team. 作为产品的常驻专家, 有时候你只需要卷起袖子开始测试. 这不仅有助于提前时间表, but it also demonstrates to the team that you’re as committed as they are to do whatever it takes to get things done.

同时，一定要庆祝一路走来的小胜利. 没有什么比来自共同兴奋和认可的积极强化更能建立团队和热情了, 尤其是当你们一起度过难关的时候.

使用有限或不完善的数据

数据驱动着我们的世界，伟大的商业领袖收集尽可能多的相关数据，并利用这些数据为自己谋利. Similarly, 知情的产品经理严重依赖用户数据, sales or marketing data, client feedback, support cases, and much more. 他们跟着数据走, 确保他们多做有用的事，少做没用的事.

但是如果没有数据会怎么样呢? This is often the case when blazing trails with new products that don’t cleanly fit into existing categories. 您可以依靠行业分析师的最新见解，并尽最大努力从有限的数据中进行推断，但在数据缺乏或模糊的情况下，往往必须做出关键决策.

最有效的产品经理意识到，没有完美的信息，即使在有限的数据下继续前进也是至关重要的. By keeping an ear to the ground, 从向前运动中自然流出的数据将有助于告诉你选择重复的事情，以及那些你将学会不再尝试的事情.

你所收集的数据和监测的指标会因你所创造的产品而有所不同，但最常见的是订阅增长, monthly recurring revenue, churn, client acquisition cost, and lifetime value. 简单的部分是当数据随时可用且信号清晰时. 多做有用的事，少做没用的事.

But if you’re getting mixed or no signals from the data then it’s important to figure out why. 深入挖掘这些客户对话，超越登录参数，更好地量化和限定平台上的用户活动. 深入挖掘可以帮助您区分100,000个活跃用户与100个活跃用户进行互动,000名“活跃”用户只是登录并离开. 深入挖掘虚荣心指标，真正了解数据可以显示什么，这有助于您纠正方向，避免您不知道的陷阱.

Be Humble

最后一件事是最好的创业型产品经理的一个决定性特征，那就是谦虚. 有时这被称为“仆人式领导”或“幕后领导”.“潜在的概念是对自己的经验和能力有足够的信心，去寻求和倾听来自他人的建议和信息.

谦虚地去寻找比你更聪明的团队成员, humble enough to really listen to client concerns and humble enough to realize that you make mistakes. 这种开放的心态造就了一名优秀的产品经理. 它通过考虑不同的观点来帮助建立观点，最终使产品更强大，更适合其预期市场.

产品管理与创业

Every new product is a new story and the product manager has to be the storyteller. Presenting a story in a compelling way creates a common understanding and mobilizes the whole team. A clear and concise story helps distill the product vision and outline the necessary steps to achieve it. Moreover, 产品经理必须养成在导致摩擦和挫折的情况下看到新机会的习惯.

在执行产品愿景的过程中会有困难的时候. Sometimes an entrepreneurial product manager will roll-up their sleeves and jump into the action themselves. Other times only limited data will be available but hard decisions will need to be made to keep the ball moving. Perseverance and humility will allow a product manager to manage the various contradictions that arise along the way.

有一个分界点，产品管理的心态会深入到细节中，而企业家必须置身于争论之外. However, in the early days of a new product, it’s hard to tell the difference between the two. Great product managers are able to tap into their inner entrepreneur to successfully launch new products.