Hey Prasad, care to share a little bit about yourself?
A true gemini, extrovert at work, introvert at home :) I love traveling and exploring new cultures, cuisines. I love talking to people from different streams life trying to understand their problems and view of life.
Can you tell us what you do as the Global Product Manager for GE Healthcare for those who are unfamiliar?
I make surgeries safe in emerging economies which have high anesthesia related mortalities by developing precise, versatile and reliable anesthesia machines. The machines I conceptualize are sold in over 100 countries across the globe.
How did you decide to pursue your specific career?
Couple of moments in 2006-2008 where I started interacting with customers which made me realise I love the problem area more than the solution space, the oohs and aahs of the customer than coffee and coding. First one when the customer said you have the latest processor, lot of memory, thats cool but whats in it for me! And then riding on a sales call where I could understand what the actual problem as the sales guy continued to sell what we had.
What made you interested in your field? What do you like about it?
Opportunities to interact and empathize with customers, understanding their problems, solving them to seeing them smile after seeing the value delivered
Any advice on how to stand out and get hired for those starting off?
Be self aware & true to yourself. Understand what you want to be and let everyone around you know what you want to be.
What are 3 character traits that would make someone excel in your field?
Inquisitive, Good Listener, Empathy
Most difficult thing about your job?
Ambiguity
What would you like to say to your younger self?
Hmm...probably get a business degree...
Best advice you've received/heard?
Think about yourself as a product and then see what value proposition you offer.
Any last thoughts, advice, or recommendations for someone who wants to learn more about Product Management?
Product Management is not that you can learn in college or via a certificate course. It needs time, effort, passion and commitment at your end. It like an AI Algo, you learn with experiences, tweak and move on. But one thing to remember - Product management is in the problem space, spend the majority of your time listening to customers and understanding their problems.
