How Travel Has Made Me a Better Product Manager

In 2019, I took a trip to Ethiopia. During the trip, I visited a village named Lalibela located in the Amhara region. Every Saturday, in Lalibela, a local market takes place in which hundreds of Amhara people gather to buy food and household necessities. Some people hike for around three hours every Saturday just to shop for the week’s supplies. As I observed the chaos of the Lalibela market, I was shown true perseverance, something I would have never been able to do in a classroom or at a desk. It is memorable experiences like these have not only instilled gratitude within me but also equipped me with the unique skills that have helped me become a better product manager. Through traveling experiences like these, I have cultivated my empathy, developed my risk-taking abilities, and discovered how culture can influence how we interact with technology.

Empathy is commonly defined as “putting yourself in another person’s shoes” or “feeling the emotional states of others.” It’s a critical social tool that creates social bridges by promoting shared experiences and producing compassionate behavior. Travel helps make the unfamiliar familiar, challenging assumptions and stereotypes that often color our view of the world. For instance, my own experience of observing the street children working in Ethiopia helped me understand both Ethiopian working culture as well as the resilience of these children who encounter rejection and violence every day. This experience deepened my understanding of a culture and reality that I had only ever encountered from a distance and in passing. The empathy I developed on this trip and others has proven to be critical in helping me succeed as a product manager. As a product manager, empathy is important in helping to understand user's needs, desires, and pain points. By being able to put themselves in their customer's shoes, product managers can create products and features that truly meet their customer's needs and solve their problems. Empathy also enables product managers to build stronger relationships with their customers and gain their trust, which is essential for long-term success in any industry. Furthermore, being empathetic allows product managers to communicate more effectively with their team members, understand their perspectives, and work collaboratively toward achieving common goals. Nevertheless, I have acquired a sense of empathy through traveling that has not only enhanced my personal relationships but also improved my product management skills.

Knowing when to take a risk or play it safe is a skill required to be a great product manager and I skill I have developed through my traveling experiences. Traveling teaches risk-taking because it involves stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new experiences. When you travel, you encounter unfamiliar situations, people, and cultures. You may have to navigate unfamiliar environments, make quick decisions, and take risks in order to get the most out of your trip. By taking these risks and stepping out of your comfort zone, you can develop your ability to assess risks, make quick decisions, and adapt to changing situations. These skills can be valuable for a product manager, who may need to make decisions about new product launches, marketing strategies, or other business initiatives. Being comfortable with taking calculated risks can help a product manager to identify and pursue new opportunities that may lead to success for the company. Without taking risks, a product may become stagnant or outdated, leading to decreased sales and market share. However, taking risks also involves a level of uncertainty and the possibility of failure. Being able to strike a balance between taking risks and playing it safe is essential for a product manager to lead a successful product development process.

Culture is a fascinating topic because it often goes unnoticed in our daily lives. This is due to the fact that our cultural beliefs and behaviors are deeply ingrained in our routines, making them difficult to recognize as separate entities. From childhood, we acquire our cultural knowledge through socialization, which is then passed down from generation to generation. Consequently, we take our culture for granted and assume that it is the norm. However, traveling provides an opportunity to learn about new cultures and the values associated with them, as well as forcing us to view our own culture from an outsider 's perspective. While exploring different cultures, we can identify cultural differences and similarities that we may not have noticed otherwise. Understanding the relationship between culture and technology is critical in creating meaningful products. A product cannot be impactful if it is only designed for a select group of users. Different cultures have different values, beliefs, and preferences that shape their attitudes toward technology and how they use it. If a product is designed without considering cultural differences, it may not be successful in certain markets or may even be perceived as offensive or inappropriate. As a product manager, I have been able to meet the needs and expectations of users from diverse cultural backgrounds by understanding the cultural nuances of different markets. This can lead to greater customer satisfaction and increased adoption rates. Additionally, a product that takes cultural differences into account can help bridge cultural divides and bring people from different backgrounds together. By promoting inclusivity and respecting cultural differences, a product can facilitate cross-cultural communication and understanding. This can help foster a sense of community and shared experience among users, which can be a powerful driver of user engagement and loyalty.

Nonetheless, traveling has provided me with valuable experiences that have helped me become a better product manager. Through empathy, risk-taking, and cultural awareness, I have been able to develop the skills necessary to create meaningful products that meet the needs of diverse user groups. Empathy has allowed me to better understand my users 'needs, desires, and pain points, leading to stronger customer relationships and trust. Risk-taking has enabled me to identify and pursue new opportunities while also striking a balance between taking risks and playing them safe. Finally, cultural awareness has allowed me to create products that are inclusive and respectful of diverse cultural backgrounds, leading to greater customer satisfaction and engagement. These experiences have taught me that traveling is not just about exploring new places and cultures but also about developing skills that can be applied to various aspects of life, including product management.