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Imposter syndrome is a common issue among product managers in the tech industry, regardless of the company or product they work on. It’s a feeling of anxiety and self-doubt that arises from a perceived lack of contribution to the product team’s success, even if the team is thriving. This phenomenon, which we could refer to as “PM Imposter Syndrome,” is more prevalent in larger tech teams than in lean start-ups, where PMs tend to work on things that generate immediate value although there are times even in small teams a product manager might feel this way.
While engineers code and designers design, product managers (PMs) plays a different role in building the product. It’s true that PMs don’t “build” the product per se, but they do have their own important set of work. These include writing requirement documents and stories, understanding users, aligning different stakeholders to create buy-ins for the product, creating wireframes, conducting market research, analyzing data, building product strategies, and leading cross-functional meetings to get things done while keeping the morale of the team high.
However, unlike coding and design, some of this work doesn’t always have immediate or visible “value.” Ironically, despite this lack of immediate value, PMs are often occupied and stressed with their work. There’s always pressure from higher-ups to ship and achieve business objectives, and PMs are usually held responsible if the product fails to meet expectations. This pressure only adds to the prevalence of imposter syndrome among PMs.
The question that arises is why PMs feel like they are not contributing much despite being held accountable. Based on my experience, the answer lies in the nature of the PM role. While PMs are involved in many different activities required to achieve business objectives and improve the product experience, many of these activities don’t directly impact product development. This can make it seem like PMs aren’t doing much.
However, PMs also play a crucial role in identifying problems to solve and justifying why certain features or improvements are necessary. They are the face of the product and are held responsible for its success or failure. Therefore, even though their contributions may not always be visible, PMs are still vital to the product development process.
How to overcome imposter syndrome?
Here are some of the easy and effective ways to overcome imposter syndrome:
Start by clarifying your own work. Take the time to identify the main areas of the company or product that you “own” as a PM, including the features or products you are responsible for. Next, outline the business objectives for each of these areas, both qualitatively and quantitatively if possible. Remind yourself that your team wouldn’t be able to achieve these objectives without your contribution. Once you have a clear understanding of your responsibilities and how they contribute to the company’s success, bring this information to your boss. Ask for their guidance on how to better link your business objectives to your daily work to overcome imposter syndrome. Don’t be afraid to ask for help — remember, your boss has likely experienced imposter syndrome themselves at some point.
Don’t hesitate to ask a coworker for feedback on your impact as a PM. The stigma that PMs don’t contribute much is outdated and no longer relevant. In fact, in my experience, coworkers are often willing to provide thoughtful answers and can identify specific areas where they have noticed your impact. If you receive positive feedback, it can be a great confidence boost. Alternatively, if there is room for improvement, this is a valuable opportunity to gather feedback and work on developing your skills as a PM.
Start pushing yourself to engage more with users. Engaging with users and gathering feedback is a great way to collect valuable information about your product, which can lead to significant improvements in revenue and engagement. As you gain more experience in product management, you will develop new skills for collecting feedback and performing user discovery, making you even more valuable to your organization. Remember, both your knowledge and experience are assets that you can leverage to excel in your role.
Consider creating curated content for your users or just about your learnings. Start producing content related to your industry, product, or just your day-to-day learning or experience as a product manager. You can start a newsletter, write blogs that highlight product releases or customer feedback, or your learning as a product manager, take part in webinars, or even consolidate information across teams in weekly Slack/Teams updates. Sharing content helps to create a sense of accomplishment and value, similar to building a product. I learned this trick while working at Labra, and it can be a great way to combat imposter syndrome while also providing valuable information to your audience.
Now, it’s time to overcome your fears and unleash your true potential as a product manager.