Product Manager Awards Advisory Board on What Top Product Managers Are Doing Differently

What are the top product managers doing differently? In this roundtable hosted by Products That Count CEO Hoda Mehr, members of the PM Awards Advisory Board will break down key trends they spotted across hundreds of award nominations on what top product managers are doing differently. You’ll hear from seasoned product leaders across industries as they share what sets standout PMs apart today—and what that means for the future of the role. Whether you’re building your product team or growing your own career, this is a must-attend conversation on what great looks like right now.

Join us for new conversations with leading product executives every week. Roll through the highlights of this week’s event below, then head on over to our Events page to see which product leaders will be joining us next week.

Show Notes:

1. AI is transforming product management, but core fundamentals remain the same
2. Top product managers are continuously curious about AI technologies and experimental in their approach
3. Successful PMs use AI as a co-pilot, not a complete replacement for human thinking
4. Outcome measurement is shifting – less focus on tool usage, more on task efficiency
5. Responsible AI is critical – top PMs consider potential biases and ethical implications
6. Great PMs focus on customer outcomes, not just feature delivery
7. Cross-functional collaboration now includes legal, compliance, and marketing teams more extensively
8. Direct customer interaction remains irreplaceable, even with advanced AI tools
9. Product managers need deep customer empathy and entrepreneurial mindset
10. AI lowers technical barriers, enabling PMs to understand code bases more easily
11. Successful PMs balance three roadmaps: building new features, improving existing products, and maintaining infrastructure
12. Trust and verification are crucial when using AI-generated information
13. Product leaders must build trust across teams, not just give orders
14. Prototyping with AI has become faster and more accessible
15. PMs should seek to “disconfirm” rather than always validate their assumptions
16. Commercial viability remains a key metric for product success
17. Understanding the entire business ecosystem is more important than tactical feature development
18. AI tools are best used for specific, deterministic tasks like creating user stories
19. Product managers should contribute to building and improving the product management community
20. The role of PM is expanding, requiring broader skills and deeper strategic thinking