The Long and Winding Road: Careers in Product
Last week I had the absolute pleasure and honor of hosting a panel discussion with some of the top leaders in product. These are people in leadership product roles at companies like Mayo Clinic, WW (formerly Weight Watchers), and Facebook, talking about Product as a Profession.
It was a remarkable 90 minutes; for one thing, all the panelists, hosts and moderators were women on a panel that didn't have a title that included "Women in ______."
The magic really started to flow as we talked about how they "found" their way in a product profession. As is often the case, not a single person on the panel started in product, or even technology; most started in the humanities, and stumbled into the profession as they began to see where their strengths were best applied.
I get asked frequently about what it takes to break into and be successful in the product world, and it’s a hard question to answer. There are so many entry points, but as I heard again and again from our panelists, it’s more the way that you work that will make you a successful candidate for product roles, rather than some particular pedigree or certification. Here’s what I’ve found:
Great Product People Can See the Forest AND the Trees
Successful product people can create and drive strategy while also managing details. It's like people who can whistle and hum at the same time: not everyone can do it, and it's pretty cool when you figure out that you're one of a select few who can pull it off.
While it's true that the balance between strategy and details skews toward strategy as you rise in the product organization, no product leader is ever entirely divorced from the details. Any product owner worth their salt can manage the minutiae like a pro but never lose sight of the bigger picture. They also understand their responsibility to help shape that strategy as one of the people closest to the product and the customer.
HOW TO DO IT: If you want to get into product, get some experience in managing the details of bringing something together — an event, a project, a publication, a process. Be sure you're able to demonstrate what value it delivered, how you knew your path was the right one, and what bigger-picture context you operated in. Help paint the picture of the role you played in driving the big picture and the details simultaneously.
Everything in Product Is a Venn Diagram
My favorite quote in the panel discussion was: "Everything in product is a Venn diagram." Regular readers know of my love of all things Venn, and I've decided I might get T-shirts made. (DM me if you're interested, I'm totally serious.)
Despite the name of the role, we product owners never really "own" anything. Everything we do in product exists in a broader ecosystem of the business, the platforms, and the customer or user's context. If we don't seek out and design our products for the intersection points of those things, then our products are doomed to fail.
This is why we say relationships matter. If you're going to be a product person who sees themselves as the noble warrior, battling to get their point of view or principles advanced by their product, you can't be successful. The collaborative nature of product requires empathy and deep relationships, not just with and for your customers but also with your colleagues. This is about we, not me.
HOW TO DO IT: Regardless of where you sit in the product organization, showing up for your customers and colleagues day in, day out as a relentless champion and contributor to the greater good is always the right decision. There will be times when you have to put your "enterprise hat" on and position your product in service to other priorities for a while. And instead of sulking or resenting this backseat position, you have to be able to rally your team to be committed and excited about it. Your ability to think and lead in a broader context than your own is essential.
New Metaphors for the Role of Product Manager
I’m not the first to declare my hatred for the whole “the product manager is the CEO of the product” thing. Here are a few metaphors that came out of our panel discussion that I particularly like:
Product manager as conductor: They know when to bring the violin melody out, emphasize percussion or make space for the oboe solo. They can see the entire symphony working together and where they need to wrangle a specific section to make sure they all stay in harmony.
Product manager as sculptor: They see the block of marble and know where to make precise chisels and significant breaks to bring the figure forward from the medium. They are as familiar with the strong and weak points in the stone as they are with the image they are trying to bring to life. They are precise but never lose sight of the broader vision.
Product manager as stage coach driver: They know where they are going, they have a plan for how to get there, and they are entrusted with their passengers' lives and belongings to make it in one piece. They manage the horses and maintain the coach — and do all of this seemingly at once as they work their way through the Wild West.
Do you know what I love about all of these? The music, art and journey are all the things that the product manager is responsible for, and at the end of the day, what these experts get out of bed every day to do. So, yes, it's great when we praise them for their work, and they get a standing ovation or a wing at the museum. But celebrating them comes through their work and our enjoyment of the outcome. The mastery of their work lies in how they managed everything in their control — and handled the things that came at them that were out of their control.
HOW TO DO IT: The goal of the product manager is not to be known, but rather for their product to be known, to be used, to meet a need for someone on the other side of the pane of glass. Ego doesn't play here. Demonstrating commitment to outcomes and value is the number one way to make yourself indispensable to your team, company and customers.
The Long and Short of It
Product careers are not for singularly minded individuals. They require high IQ and EQ, working in balance, every day. Product people are some of the most dynamic and complex individuals I know; the long and winding career path is part of what makes the people we work with so good at their jobs, and why I created this consulting practice. I can’t think of a more interesting and challenging line of work to be in!
We cover a lot about career progression in our Product Masterminds program, which is open now for the January 2022 Cohort. Want a sneak peek? Check out my free upcoming webinar.