What kind of person must a Brand Manager be to be useful to your company?
A successful Brand Manager must be:
- A “Problem solver” – equipped with strong problem-solving skills (and you should definitely avoid the “problem raiser” – that type of person who, instead of solving problems, only highlights them), intellectually curious and a quick learner.
- Rational – must be able to analyze numbers in depth and critically, and support his decisions with numbers; earns the respect of others by always acting in the company’s interest (and without letting his personal taste influence his judgment).
- Creative – able to think outside the box when it comes to solving business problems and absolutely opposed to the “it’s always been done this way” mentality.
- Persistent and Persuasive – since the product manager typically has responsibilities without hierarchical authority, he or she must be able to convince people in other business functions despite their sometimes stubborn resistance and be able to push them to overcome their limitations; for this he or she must also be able to adapt his or her way of communicating to different situations and people.
- Diplomatic and Patient – endowed with the ability to be calm, tolerant, understanding, and composed.
When selecting personnel, you must therefore look for a person who is simultaneously endowed with all these characteristics.
Keep in mind that previous experience with similar products can be an advantage, but should not be the main factor in your choice. Prior experience in very similar products can sometimes even be a limitation, as they inevitably create biases.
Experienced Brand Managers can easily adapt to new environments and quickly get the best out of your product line, even without having previously managed the same type of product. For this reason, it is much more important to select them based on their skills and personal characteristics rather than on their past experience.
