Main takeaways: -Diversity in product teams makes companies and products stronger -Understanding how your background fits into your career path will unlock your special skillset -Using this understanding will help you create highly functional teams and better products

1. www.productschool.com
Use Your Background to Be a Better PM
by Spotify Product Leader

2. CERTIFICATES
Your Product Management Certificate Path
Product Leadership
Certificate™
Full Stack Product
Management Certificate™
Product Management
Certificate™

3. Corporate
Training
Level up your team’s Product
Management skills

4. Free Product Management Resources
BOOKS
EVENTS
JOB PORTAL
COMMUNITIES
bit.ly/product_resources
COURSES

5. How to Use Your
Background to Be a
Better PM?
Kinga Asbóth

6. Why this topic?
Understanding and storytelling are two of the
most important skills for a product manager.
Learn to talk about your background and see it
as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

7. About me
Spotify
Product Manager
Impraise
Product Manager
Customer
Success/Support
Ötvenperc
Co-founder
Psychologist
Who’s the audience?
📚 🚲 🎧 📺
⛵ 📷

8. 1 2 3
Understand
Practice
Storytelling
Apply what you
learned

9. 1 2 3
Understand
Practice
Storytelling
Apply what you
learned

10. Why is understanding important?
"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom."

11. How to practice understanding?
"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom."
What are your values?
What impacted your career/education choices?
Who do you look up to and why?
What goals do you have?
What are your dreams?

12. 👶 🏡 🏫 💻
1995
How did you feel about it?
+ Myers–Briggs Type: 16personalities.com

13. 1 2 3
Understand
Practice
Storytelling
Apply what you
learned

14. Why is storytelling important?
It’s a tool for your audience to understand, empathize and form
connections with you through your story.
● Create your narrative
● Understand your audience: tweak your story

15. How to tell a good story?
2
● Who do you want to influence through this story?
● What do you want them to feel?
● What do you want them to do?
Keep in mind
● “Why should I care?”
● Is your story clear?
● Simplify

16. Storytelling is more important than you think.
2
Can you think of examples of how storytelling is being used
in product management?

17. 1 2 3
Understand
Practice
Storytelling
Apply what you
learned

18. Become a PM
● Apply for jobs
● Identify blind spots
● Learn and grow
● Seek mentorship: reach out with a goal in mind

19. Become a better PM
...and build better products
● These are core capabilities to a PM
● Understanding muscles: core user needs, empathize with your customers
● Storytelling muscles: strategy, getting buy-in, motivating your team

20. A word about impostor syndrome:)

21. Wrap-up
PMs come from many many different backgrounds
And diversity makes teams and products stronger!
Talk to people. Listen to their stories.

22. Thank you!

23. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management Training Courses
and
Corporate Training