You're a product management professional. How do you keep up with the latest industry trends?

Staying in the loop with market trends is key! While many hit up Twitter and LinkedIn, I like to dig deeper. Sure, I'll check out courses, docs and videos, but my go-to? learning from others, Chatting with experts over coffee! Nothing beats those conversations for real insights and perspectives.

As a PM you should look for leaders to follow in the following areas: 1. Product Management discipline as a whole 2. Innovation in tech e.g. GenAi 3. Industry relevant updates 4. Design leaders 5. Experts in leadership/management 6. Latest economic trends 7. Marketing/growth leaders

I think of this as building a passive learning setup. Sometimes we sit and learn actively but what I have seen work better is to customize world around you to ensure you learn passively. One good way to do this is to follow other leaders in relevant space on networks like linked in so that you feed and perhaps your email starting helping you learn all the time. It also helps you discover new and trending topics

Keeping up with industry trends is an ongoing process that requires curiosity, proactivity, and a willingness to learn. By dedicating time to exploring new ideas, Here are some effective ways to keep up with the latest trends: 1. Follow industry publications and blogs 2. Attend conferences and events 3. Engage with product communities: 4. Follow thought leaders on social media: - Identify influential product management thought leaders and follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Medium - Engage with their content by commenting, sharing, and participating in discussions 5. Conduct regular market research 6. Experiment with new tools and technologies 7. Pursue continuous learning 8. Leverage your network

Schedule time for yourself and USE PRODUCTS. Get your hands dirty. It doesn't have to be direct competitors. What are some delightful onboarding experiences that are ahead of the curve? How are other products reducing friction for their customers? Most importantly, analyze trends you see and feel with a lens of "How does this help MY customers?" Chasing trends out of FOMO can end up derailing your product strategy.

I stay informed about industry trends by regularly reading reputable blogs, attending conferences, and participating in webinars. Networking with other professionals, joining relevant online communities, and subscribing to newsletters also help me stay updated. Additionally, I prioritize continuous learning through online courses and workshops to enhance my skills and stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of product management.

Beyond traditional product management resources, drawing inspiration from unrelated industries can be incredibly enlightening. For instance, a product manager once revamped a software interface by emulating the simplicity and intuitiveness found in a children's book. This unconventional approach not only made the software more user-friendly but also distinctively memorable. Similarly, observing practices in fields like architecture or fashion, where design and functionality intersect uniquely, can offer fresh perspectives. Such cross-industry learning encourages innovative thinking, pushing the boundaries of conventional product management.

For each industry, there is a great likelihood that there are multiple podcasts associated with that industry. If you have the time, I would recommend the following every week: 1. Listen to a Tech podcast that covers overall tech news for the week 2. Listen to an Industry specific Tech podcast (For example FinTech) from Host/Author 1 3. Listen to an Industry specific Tech podcast (For example FinTech) from Host/Author 2 to get a different perspective on the same industry

No Brasil, existem várias opções de podcasts relacionados ao gerenciamento de produtos, inovação, e empreendedorismo. Aqui estão alguns exemplos: Product Over Coffee: Um podcast que discute temas como gestão de produto, design thinking, e prototipação, contando com especialistas e convidados. Falar com Estratégia: Este podcast busca discutir estratégias de negócios e gestão, incluindo aspectos do gerenciamento de produtos. Co-Founded: Um podcast voltado para empreendedores e startups, que aborda temas como design de produto, branding, e desenvolvimento de negócios. Prever o Futuro: Um podcast sobre inovação e empreendedorismo, que busca discutir tendências e perspectivas futuras para os negócios. .

Podcasts can be useful to learn about current and emerging trends while on the go. Product managers should consume a mix of product management practice and industry specific podcasts to get comprehensive information about the customers and industry they serve.

Learning is continuous but increasingly challenging due to the rapid pace of change, which disrupts our balance between personal well-being and career. Personally, I've found the following strategies very helpful and time-saving: 1. Join focus groups. 2. Attend meetups. 3. Subscribe to top industry newsletters and use AI to summarize them. 4. Prioritize your focus areas to excel—remember, you can do anything but not everything. 5. Use LinkedIn effectively; many people specialize in one area, and you can learn to divide and conquer from them.

Engaging in online communities is a valuable strategy for product management professionals to stay connected, share experiences, and stay informed about industry trends. You can use platforms like: 1. ProductCoalition (Medium): Medium's ProductCoalition publication is a community-driven platform where product managers share articles, insights, and experiences. 2. Mind the Product Community: Mind the Product is a popular product management conference, and its online community extends the discussions beyond the event. 3. Slack Communities: Slack channels dedicated to product management, such as "ProdMgmt Today" or "PMHQ," offer real-time communication with professionals worldwide.

I try to put myself in the perspective of my customer and have specific social profiles created based on customer personas so that I can see the world though the eyes (and the feed) of a persona I am trying to build products and services for. This gives another perspective to following industry focused content

app.kothinker.com is on of the communities for PM who are trying to be a founder where you can learn from global PM, the problem they are trying to solve and best way to solve it. Discuss about your problem set, test your skills and so on.

Here are the must join slack communities for anyone aspiring to be a PM or looking for career growth - 1. Product School (free) 2. Product HQ (one time paid) 3. Mind the Product (free) 4. Reforge (Members only, needs no intro) 5. GrowthX (Members only, for growth professionals interested in meet-ups as well) 6. Remote POC (free, you can engage with developers, sales, design folks in addition to PMs)

100% attend local events and meetups to learn and build your network! A few good ones that are in many metro areas: - Product Tank - Lenny's Podcast product meetup - Women in Product Facebook group (hosts events, webinars, meetups) - DragonBoat has a pretty good virtual series

I regularly attend events and webinars that offer opportunities to learn from experts, meet new people, and get inspired. Some of the events(Mostly virtual) and webinars that I attend are - ProductCon - ProductTank - ProductCamp, and Lean Startup Week. Events and webinars help me stay updated on the latest trends, innovations, and challenges in product management, as well as connect with potential mentors, partners, and customers.

I've always found that in person is more helpful than online. Just because I feel the connections you make there are what really helps you accelerate. Meetup has a pile of them. London is overflowing with great meetups. Product Pints regularly has over 100 people each time. However, don't forget that creatives, like product people, are always happy to have a chat one on one. So don't hesitate to reach out on linked in and set up a coffee. I always did that, and got a lot of positive responses.

There is wonderful feedback here on a number of different avenues (blogs, events, user groups, etc) that can help you tune into current trends. My favorite is talking to potential & current customers to better understand their (user/buyer) sources of information! Over the years, I've become a part of vibrant communities early on that I don't believe I would have discovered any other way!

Learn,learn & learn, there is no alternative to learning. Take courses and certifications for up-to-date knowledge. Try to gain competitive edge holding recognized certifications can set you apart. Enhance your skill set. Enrolling in courses or pursuing certifications often involves interacting with other professionals. Pick your partners for learning, udemy, linkedin Learning, Coursera or anything. There are many courses and certifications available.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. – Stephen Covey To stay updated with industry trends in GenAI as a product manager, consider these: 1. AI Product Management Specialization (Coursera) 2. AI for Everyone (Coursera) 3. OpenAI's GPT-3 Course (Udemy) 4. Certified AI Product Manager (AIPMM) 5. AI Business Strategies (MIT) 6. Google AI Fundamentals (Google Cloud) 7. GenAI Webinars and Conferences These resources cover AI fundamentals, applications in product development, ethics, strategy, and specific tools like GPT-3. Attending events and staying updated through blogs, newsletters, and podcasts focused on GenAI and product management is also crucial in this rapidly evolving field.

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X - Investing in your own education is a proactive way to stay current with industry trends and enhance your product management skills. - Online learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and edX offer a wide range of courses and certifications taught by experienced practitioners and renowned institutions. - Pursuing certifications, such as the Certified Product Manager (CPM) or the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), demonstrates your commitment to professional development and helps you stand out in a competitive market.

Taking course is a great way to go deep in a topic. In addition to courses and certifications, cohort based learning has been extremely effective as like minded people do concentrated learning. This not only helps in learning but also builds a community around a specific topic. Some topics take time/effort to learn - Certifications generally shine here as the incentives are aligned with the learner.

Taking courses and acquiring more certifications can never be too much if you want to stay updated in the latest industry trends. The good thing about courses and certifications now is that there are not of free options out there sponsored by so many Non Government Tech organisation. So it depends on you who either go for the paid or the free one. Definitely the paid ones are more comprehensive and widens your knowledge about the trending skills and knowledge in the industry.

Don’t sit behind your desk. Talk to your customers, talk to channel partners, to sales colleagues, market analysts. In one word: talk!

I often find that industry trends are trumped by tried and true principles that are hard to do. By this, I mean that great Product Management often comes not from following the latest hot trend/buzzword, but instead from honing in on what is fundamental to the role but is often scary or hard to do. Things like talking to users, keeping folks aligned, sharing information and learnings with team members, and asking for feedback even if it may be negative. Certainly keeping abreast of industry trends is helpful, but I often ask myself "what fundamental practice does this help me hone" and if it doesn't do this, it's likely a distraction.

Some ways to get started for keeping up with industry trends: 1. Setup a Google/Apple/Bing news alert for a specific keyword on your inbox to get the latest insights on an industry as fast as possible. 2. Subscribe to TechCrunch newsletter daily AM/PM delivery. 3. Try keyword searching on LinkedIn to read posts and articles about it. Remember that market research needs smart work, or it is really easy to drown in the details!

While formal learning is advocated for keeping up with trends, most PMs will find themselves signing up but not completing the courses for lack of time. Some of the most effective and enjoyable ways I have seen in my PM teams is having a chat group to exchange news links, and that's enough to get PMs started on sharing a POV, discuss possibilities, outcomes and the blue sky. I also do discussions in team meetings. Keeping up with trends is not sufficient for PMs, one needs to develop the muscle to have a POV on trends, seizing opportunities from vague indicators and taking the ecosystem along. So keeping up is best done with reading and discussing.

Attend industry events, and really you don’t have to know the organizers or wait to be invited. Tag along with someone, show up and learn