PM Core Competencies (Sharps, Drive, Influence)

"If you can see yourself that 'I'm built this way' or 'I want to really get better at these,' that's when I think this field is going to serve you well." - Anuj Rathi

What It Is

A simple framework for evaluating whether someone is suited for product management and for developing PM talent. Anuj argues that most aspiring PMs don't think carefully about whether this field is right for them—they enter because it seems prestigious or interesting without understanding what it actually requires.

The framework identifies three essential competencies. You don't need to excel at all three immediately, but you need to be excited about developing them.

How It Works

The Three Competencies

1. Raw Sharps (Intelligence) This manifests as:

• Problem identification and problem solving
• Higher-order thinking
• Pattern recognition across domains
• Decision-making quality

The good news: 80% of this is achievable through domain knowledge. "An average smart person with no domain knowledge versus you armed with a lot of knowledge around domain can already take you there."

Key insight: This is less about raw IQ and more about accumulated judgment and context.

2. Drive (Grit) This encompasses:

• Curiosity about how things work
• Learnability and growth mindset
• Persistence—"never giving up"
• Customer-backward thinking
• Intrinsic motivation to solve problems

Key insight: This is the hardest to coach. "I've not seen people with less drive actually eventually turning out with a lot of drive." People can be inspired, but fundamental drive is hard to create.

3. Influence This includes:

• Ability to change minds
• Getting alignment without authority
• Moving stakeholders toward decisions
• Applying influence to users, not just teammates

Key insight: "There's no negotiation here. You need to really think that 'I have to be good at this one.'" The prospect of needing to influence should excite you, not scare you.

How to Apply It

For Self-Assessment

1. Ask yourself: Does the prospect of developing these three skills excite me?

   • If influence work sounds exhausting rather than energizing, reconsider PM
   • If you need guaranteed outcomes rather than persistent experimentation, reconsider PM

2. Audit your gaps honestly

   • Which competency is strongest? Weakest?
   • Are you energized by developing the weak areas?

3. Consider role fit

   • "You should not think like, 'Hey, you know what? I can get away from this and still be very successful product manager,' because most likely, you will not."

For Hiring and Evaluation

1. Evaluate all three

   • Don't hire for just one competency
   • A sharp person without drive or influence will struggle

2. Look for growth potential

   • Do they show improvement over time?
   • Are they actively working on weak areas?

3. Use interview questions that probe

   • Anuj's favorite: "Which products should prioritize speed vs. excellence?" (tests sharps + domain knowledge)

For Development

1. Sharps can be built

   • Invest heavily in domain knowledge
   • Study decision-making frameworks
   • Build pattern libraries

2. Drive is hard to create

   • Can be inspired but not manufactured
   • Look for environments that activate intrinsic motivation
   • If drive is consistently low, the role may not be right

3. Influence must be developed

   • Study sales and negotiation
   • Practice stakeholder management deliberately
   • Think of yourself as "in the business of influence"

When to Use It

• Deciding whether to pursue product management
• Evaluating PM candidates
• Performance reviews and development conversations
• Career planning and gap analysis
• Coaching PMs who are struggling

Source

• Guest: Anuj Rathi
• Episode: "The full-stack PM | Anuj Rathi (Swiggy, Jupiter Money, Flipkart)"
• Key Discussion: (00:50:55) - The three core PM competencies
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

• Full-Stack PM - How these competencies manifest in practice
• Growth Competency Model - Similar framework for growth-specific roles