Developing And Applying Soft Skills For Product Management

Leading B2B organizations recognize that while measurable and testable hard skills are foundational to professional success, the presence of soft skills is also important in an effective workforce. However, many organizations often consider soft skills a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. Soft skills are especially critical in product management because of the primary mandate to work across functions and organizations with multiple stakeholders. In this report, we define soft skills, outline three essential soft skills for product managers, and recommend ways to promote and improve these skills.