What accomplishment  in your product management career has brought you the highest level of  satisfaction and joy? Can you narrate why?

Last 7 years of my Product journey has been around serving sellers (In Meesho) and Drivers (In Gojek) . In many ways I feel that , my team & I were able to uplift the lives of these folks - both from a social and economic point of view. While doing so , I was also able to create teams of fantastic product professionals from ground up (twice in 2 different companies) - many of whom have become lifelong friends.

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What aspect of  product management did you struggle the most with? How did you overcome  it?

I am an introvert by nature . My default mode is to listen more and talk less. At times this hindered my ability to create influence In large gatherings and leadership discussions. Over time, via conscious effort I have learned to be effective at this.

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What's one common  myth about product management that you find common among aspiring PMs.

Lot of aspiring PM's do not understand that Product managers need to master the art of influencing without authority for majority of the decisions. Not everyone enjoys this and sometimes folks realise it the hard way.

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What are some common  pitfalls that product managers must be aware of?

Being solution centric/Not spending enough time on the problem , Not talking to users , Not focussing on execution

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If not product  management, what career would you have picked? Are there any complimentary skillsets that you see between being a PM and your alternate choice?

I would have owned a cafe/restaurant :)

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What is something  about product management that you wish you knew when you started out?

Career path progression and how to go about it , what skills to acquire , how to find mentors.