Without question, product managers need to have technical skills. But soft skills are just as vital.
Frank Toscano, vice president of product management at Consensus Cloud Solutions, emphasizes the need for this mix and celebrates how his direct reports are acquiring those skills — making it more likely they will advance to leadership positions.
His experience mirrors the position of the leading business schools. At the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an emphasis on product management has intensified in the post-pandemic period. The top-ranked MBA school says this is due to companies expanding their platform-based and digital product offerings — and they tell PM students they should plan to directly own the P&Ls at their firms.
Toscano also encourages calculated risk taking and a willingness to think creatively.
“I tell my team all the time, I have no issue with you being wrong,” he said. “Just make sure you can explain why we chose that path if we have to explain it to senior management.”
Read on to learn more about how great product managers are made at Consensus Cloud Solutions.
Consensus Cloud Solutions uses interoperability in digital cloud and fax technology to help healthcare organizations convert unstructured documents to analytics-ready information.
Reflecting on 2023, what was the most important professional experience you had?
The most important professional experience I had in 2023 was seeing my team mature into future leaders.
Product management can be very challenging as the day-to-day demands often change based on the needs of the business. I often share with others that product management can be very challenging for someone who expects to have a routine day-to-day experience. The work that is asked of product managers goes beyond just defining requirements. It is a business process. As a product manager you must always be asking what problem are you trying to solve?
Many times, our customers — both internal and external — describe what they think they want and not what problem they are trying to solve. Why this matters so much is that product managers must understand the technology and the business drivers in order to produce a solution that meets market demand and delivers a great user experience. Having seen my team start to grow to deliver on that promise has been one of the best experiences of my professional career.
How did your company's learning and development programs or other opportunities help you advance your career? And what role has your manager played in supporting your career growth?
One of the great tools that Consensus has provided employees is a service called Growthspace. The service allows managers to engage with mentors to help employees prepare for the challenges that we will face as a growing and expanding organization. The organization is extremely focused on employee development and providing tools to help them to grow from all levels and expand their knowledge.
What's one piece of advice you would offer to a product manager that's looking to take the next step in their career in 2024?
I would offer the following advice: Do not be afraid to take a risk on an idea or a path forward. Just make sure that you are prepared to explain your decision. One of the hardest things to change in an organization is the mindset that “this is the way we have always done it.” As leaders, you want to examine problems from a fresh angle and try different things. Those ideas though should be based on research and as much data as you have.
