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Want to grow in product? Use these 5 skills outside of work too

Your product skills are more portable than you think. Learn 5 ways to build alignment, navigate ambiguity, and think in systems - at work and beyond.

Author

Stefanie Brown
May 30, 2025

Hey friends,

This week, a question stuck with me: What PM skill do you use the most outside of work?

Tons of you weighed in, and the top answer wasn’t technical.

It wasn’t even specific to product.

It was: Getting alignment with others.

That’s when it clicked:

The best PM skills don’t stay in the office.

They leak into travel planning, relationship building, even Sunday to-do lists.

This week, I wanted to share 5 underrated PM skills that make life better everywhere, and how you can practice each one next week.

Let’s get into it 👇

Getting Alignment Without Burning Out

Whether it’s shipping a new feature or making dinner plans, alignment = forward motion.

But it doesn’t mean consensus.

It means shared context, realistic tradeoffs, and a clear next step.

💡 Try this next week:

Before your next decision - at work or at home - pause and ask:

“What outcome are we both optimizing for?”

Prioritizing When Everything Feels Important

You already know how to prioritize under constraints.

You do it at work every day. But what about when life gets chaotic?

💡 Try this next week:

When your calendar’s full or your mind’s spinning, ask:

“What’s the next irreversible decision I need to make?”

It cuts the noise fast - and clarifies what truly matters.

Sequencing a Big Goal Without the Overwhelm

Breaking things into manageable chunks is core to product work.

But we rarely do it for personal goals.

💡 Try this next week:

Pick one thing you’ve been putting off - personal or professional.

Then write down:

What “done” looks like

3–5 steps to get there

The very first step you could take this week

Zooming Out from the Feature to the Real Job

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) changed how I think, not just about product, but about people.

It’s a reminder that users don’t want features.

They want outcomes.

💡 Try this next week:

Take a current feature you’re working on.

Ask yourself: “What’s the actual job the user is hiring this for?”

Then ask: “Who else in the org might be solving for that same job?”

📚 Deeper dive: JTBD 101 – Tony Ulwick

Building With People, Not Just for Them

Whether it’s user research, beta calls, or DMs from your LinkedIn post, collaboration before launch beats fixing it later.

💡 Try this next week:

Set up one call with a real user (even if it’s just 15 minutes).
You’ll learn more than a week’s worth of analytics.

PM skills aren’t just for PMs.

They’re tools for designing a more intentional life, where clarity, momentum, and collaboration feel lighter.

Till next week,

Stef

P.S. Working on something exciting and want a second set of eyes? Just hit reply - I read every note.