Guest Appearance on the Technology Leadership Podcast with Jake Whitby
Guest Appearance on the Technology Leadership Podcast with Jake Whitby
How to upskill as a product manager and move into product leadership
I had a great time on the Technology Leadership Podcast with Jake Whitby from Tech Source talking about how to upskill as a product manager and move into product leadership.
Listen to the episode here:
[01:42] How I got started in tech
[06:36] Understanding leadership and management
[11:08] Advice for people moving into leadership
[13:37] The importance of up-skilling yourself
[18:23] Advice for Senior Product Managers
[22:14] Breadth of experience vs. depth of experience
[24:47] Advice on how to hire for a leadership role
[29:52] The importance of speaking to your manager
[34:15] Advice for people who want to become Product Managers
Find the episode on your favorite podcast app:
Key Takeaways
Learn about different routes into Product Management and how many people find themselves in the role by accident or recognition of transferable skills.
Understand that there are two tracks in Product Management: as an individual contributor or a manager.
Consider why moving into a leadership role in Product Management requires different skills and focus than working as a product manager.
Get tips on how to find a mentor, be part of a community, and educate yourself to improve in a Product Manager role with a zest for learning and growing, not only in Product Management, but in life in general.
Understand why strategy and metrics - for example financial metrics such as annual recurring revenue and net retention rate - are important for Senior Product Managers to understand.
Learn more about how a business develops a strategy and how it trickles down to each department and how it impacts Product Management.
Hear why due to the current economic climate, companies may be hiring less and being more selective in their hiring process and in this context how to move into a leadership role at your current company by being proactive and explicit about your career goals and growth plans with your manager.
Find out how to seek mentorship from networks such as ADPList, the Mentoring Club, MentorMesh, and My Mentor Path to get value input in how to evolve into leadership roles.
Understand how to be proactive and intentional in communicating and working cohesively with other teams such as sales and marketing.