Why Chefs and Soldiers Make the Best Product Managers

Eaze CEO Jim Patterson has a theory that military and kitchen experience are solid indicators of great PMs. Here's why and what startups can look for to hire better.

Outline

Five years ago, Clover Health COO Wilson Keenan got his first job in product management. Before that, he was a line cook. It fit into a broader hiring philosophy Patterson subscribes to: chefs and soldiers make excellent product managers.

“Both the military and professional kitchens are environments where there's zero tolerance for slackers and indecision — you have to be on all the time, working quickly under high pressure,” he says.

Making good decisions quickly isn't the only quality PMs need that military or kitchen experience instills. There's a whole checklist Patterson looks for whenever he makes product hires:

Being able to lead without authority.
Always taking blame while giving credit away.
Strong decision-making with imperfect information.
Valuing intense preparation.
Methodical in how they recover from mistakes and crises.
Operating optimally under extreme pressure.

While very few may actually be former chefs or soldiers, this list can serve as a rubric for hiring product managers who have the raw skills to succeed in the role. In this exclusive interview, Patterson — who served in the Air Force — shares what he looks for and how he thinks about building uniquely effective product teams.

Great PMs Earn Authority with Respect and Consistency

Product is this tough job where no one truly works for you. The engineering team doesn't report to you. They don't really have to do what you say, but you have to be their leader anyway.

If you're a cook in a restaurant or commercial kitchen, you're usually one of many, constantly handing off work to one another to achieve a highly-orchestrated result. In the military, there's strict hierarchy, but there's also a lot of teamwork among peers. In these situations, natural leaders who win the allegiance of those around them thrive.

“Being charismatic and well-spoken is important, but it’s not sufficient on its own,” says Patterson. “It's possible to learn to be a good leader, because it's really about credibility and respect.”

This is why product managers with technical ability tend to have an advantage. They start off with instant credibility because engineers feel that they speak the same language, understand the scope of challenges, and operate accordingly.

“You have to make it clear you respect what engineers do as a craft — it's not just a means to an end or a route to a company goal — it's creating something from nothing in a way that requires considerable creativity and skill,” he says.

The most important thing any PM has going for them is the trust of the engineers. You need to be able to chart a course that may not have 100% consensus — that many may not understand — but they'll follow you because they trust you. The best way to create that trust is to build a consistent track record of sound decision making with no fanfare — day in, day out.

Great PMs Make Being Thankless a Habit

“When you're in basic training and one person messes up, the whole unit ends up doing push-ups,” says Patterson. “It's how they reinforce that you're a team that fails and succeeds together. You learn that when you screw up, it's not just you. It affects everyone else.”

The best product managers know they have thankless jobs, and they don't mind. This is a skill unto itself. They never throw anyone else under the bus.

“The top PMs understand if your team is bad, you're bad. If your team is good, you're good. The worst thing you can do as a PM is blame members of your team. If you do that, you're dead, because they will not have your back after that.”

When things go well, you want a PM who gets out of the way and points to everyone else. Not everyone is capable of this.

If you crave approval, this job isn't for you.

The best way to root out this mentality is to pay attention to pronouns. In an interview, does a PM candidate say 'I' and 'me' a lot? Or do they say 'we', 'my team' and 'us.'

Especially at a startup, you want your product managers to be servant-leaders.

Great PMs Move Fast Without All the Facts

Military service drills you in making quick decisions with imperfect information. It's the basis of one of Patterson's favorite sayings: “ Mostly right, never in doubt.” That's what PMs need to be too.

The OODA Loop is also a helpful tool for product managers, who — Patterson argues — should assume that the data they have is always imperfect and will never be perfect.

“Like pilots, PMs can't do this. They'll never ship on time if they do.”

Instead, they need to keep running the loop — taking in all the information available to them, deciphering what it means, making firm decisions, and deploying them. It requires both endurance — because you have to keep at it day after day — and the precision to make the smartest possible decision at any given point.

Great PMs Value Preparation Above All

At highly-rated, Michelin star restaurants, there's a concept called ' Mise en Place' — roughly translating to 'Everything in Its Place.' It refers to the rigorously thought out organization of ingredients and tools needed in a busy kitchen, allowing all kitchen staff to operate as fast and as seamlessly as possible once they start cooking.

“Think about how complicated it is for kitchens to take hundreds of ingredients every day and combine them beautifully and consistently so that hot, gorgeous dishes all come out at the same time, every time for dozens of tables,” he says.

Just like in kitchens, PMs need to anticipate and smooth out handoffs of work between people — engineers and designers, for example. There's very little margin for error.

You want to create muscle memory for your team.

Great PMs Are Their Very Best Under Pressure

In a restaurant, the cooking can't stop no matter what. If you're off the rails or backed up or ' in the weeds' as chefs call it, you have to get back on track without stopping or slowing down.

As a PM, you have a ship date, and the fate of your product or even your company depends on your ability to keep going no matter what.

It's that feeling of being 'zoned in' and the ability to see things in slow motion — so you can start pulling them apart and working the problem.

“As first a PM and now CEO, this experience has made him preternaturally calm in stressful situations. “I'm able to detach because getting emotional or upset is only counter-productive,” he says.

War Room Product Management

Recently at Eaze, Patterson has combined all of the qualities above into a new approach for the whole company. They've created a War Room, transforming their largest conference room into a mission control center of sorts.

“It's a military strategy, to get people in a room to facilitate fast, efficient communication and action,” says Patterson.

Importantly, those in the War Room can call on and leverage their entire team behind them to help them problem-solve. You're allowed to raise hell if something's going to prevent us from winning the day, and whatever can be done to help becomes the priority.

In large part, the War Room concept was born out of the attributes Patterson believes make PMs great. It pulls the team toward a goal, rather than pushing them. Setting it up required a lot of thought, care and preparation so that individuals can act immediately, with muscle memory.