Building trust with your team

Even though I come from an engineering background with almost 10 years of experience in all sorts of large and small companies, it was a lot harder than I thought to transition into a product management role. As an engineer, I always thought that "business team" didn't really do anything and that engineering was where the tire hits the road! Now that years have passed and I'm on the other side of that artificially created opposition, I've gained a deeper appreciation for how teams can work together to build great products.

One of my first lessons as a product manager involved forming a relationship with engineering built on trust that was mutually beneficial. Easier said than done! Here are some of the lessons I learned early on to help:

1. Give Credit - It is NEVER about you. It's about the team! Take every chance you get to put the spotlight on them.
   
2. Be Reasonable - As a product manager you have to balance between the sales and marketing teams who say "If you don't ask for it, you'll never get it" and the engineers who say "That's impossible to develop". Challenge and learn, maybe there is a phased approached and not every feature is a P1 feature.
3. Establish yourself as a credible market represenative - Do your homework! Opinion's are not good enough, market and competitive data are needed to be prepared. Have you talked to customers? Prepare thoughtful questions and research.

Of course there are many more lessons I've learned, but that's enough for today....