This was by far my biggest learning till now as a PM at Razorpay. What my leaders sometimes call being "aggressive" or "loud". I think it is about being noticeable but not in a selfish way but noticeable so that you can influence better.
Being able to influence is what differentiates a great and good PM in my opinion. But to influence well, you need to have
- Good communication skills both written and verbal, which honestly is table stakes for a product manager
- Having strong conviction
The second is the key and it is not easy. At least for me, I realised, I cannot be "loud" or "aggressive" if I do not have enough conviction in what I am building.
Having strong conviction means doing your homework well. Exploring the market, reading research docs, talking to customers, doing small experiments, having wins under your belt, all help in having conviction.
Once you have that, convincing and influencing is a lot easier.
But products fail and you will be proven wrong. Yet, it is better to fail having done all the convincing and after being "loud", rather than being someone who does the small things right silently.
Choose being wrong loudly, than being right silently.