My Top 5 Easy Reads of the Week

This week I’ve decided that I’d like to focus on more of an easy, less technical read. It’s starting to get hot, so personally I like to grab an ice cold Arnold Palmer, a fan and just learn some new things. I don’t have a day without at least contemplating something, and you shouldn’t either. Today people write much more concisely so take advantage of it.

The blogs below all take less than seven minutes to read, but have some great points. You’re probably reading this on a laptop or your cell phone, so go take your time to get comfortable and enjoy.

 

PMs, You Don’t Need That Technical Degree

I’ll be quite honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this article, but, and it’s a very big but, I think it’s important to think about this issue. I would like to call myself an ambitious person. Product managers tend to be ambitious because if you aren’t then you’re in a lot of trouble. So growing up I would always look for job openings where I can make more money, and as a young adult I knew I had it in me, but was always discouraged because companies wanted someone with a degree. Now I understand the value of an academic degree, but is it okay to judge someone without one? Read for yourself and let me know what you think.

How to Use the Psychology of Choice to Increase Online Sales

As Sarah Jessica Parker once said “So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. So many mistakes.” We’ve all made mistakes and mine was staying up last night and having Sex and the City on in the background… The weirdest part was that the SJP’s character said this quote just as I was finishing this article and it struck me as true. I’m taking it a little differently. Sometimes when you’re product has too many choices there are too many mistakes. Use this customer experience blog and incorporate it into your blog.

 

Want to Come Up With a Hot New Product Idea? Be a Ruthless Competitor

Educated, concise and ruthless. Those are the words that come to mind after I read this. Unfortunately the world we live in today is getting harder for people in tech. While more people are using technology the competition has become greater. What I liked most about this article was that it teaches you to look inwards as well. Spoiler alert: the way that Steve Jobs was willing to kill the iPod for iPhone sales shows inward ruthlessness where the sacrifice was worth the rewards.

The Software Development Methodologies You Need to Know

There are a bunch of different software development methodologies I think that other product managers should know. I just recently learned the Waterfall Method, which I cannot say I enjoy too much, but I can see the usefulness. I don’t always adhere to one method, so I think it’s important for everyone to be aware of others which can help. Switch methodologies, blend them but most importantly be aware of them.

So You Want to Manage a Product?

What a simple question. There are so many little things nobody tells you about being a product manager. My favorite quote here was “it’s not about being a star-It’s about managing the universe.” Now I’m not saying that product managers are God, far from it. Product managers are the dark matter between stars, connecting them with an unseen energy that somehow unites it all together, allowing light to pass through us to reach other universes. Your designer, your coder, your tech team, your salespeople, they’re stars. You need to keep them attached, allowing them to transmit light and energy to each other.

 

 

 

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Mark is the Lead Author & Editor of Spectechular Blog. Mark established the Spectechular blog to create a source for news and discussion about some of the issues, challenges, news, and ideas relating to Product Management.