Thread by @NicoleDaines

A big learning I had in transitioning from an IC to a #product leader was that success looked like:

-consistency of execution
-delivering results
-ensuring stakeholders knew about and were happy with my work

It was less important that I had all the product knowledge out there.

In chats with senior product managers wanting to make the transition, I’ve found a misconception that if only they had *this one special skill* they could get promoted.

In actuality, Director of Product and above are vastly different jobs involving soft skills, helping shepherd through hard choices, and working well with executives.

I loved this book “leading without authority,” (by Keith Ferrazzi) because it highlights the importance of partnering with others across your org to achieve greater results than anyone could alone.

I think growing in product requires this kind of mindset.

As you’re evaluating rising in your career, consider:

-proactively identifying what company/product problems are within your sphere of responsibility/influence
-who can you get onboard to help solve these problems
-doing the work and showing tangible progress/results

An interesting side benefit of doing the work and seeing/showing results is that it’s a huge confidence builder.

You’ve shown yourself (and everyone else) that you’ve done it before, and with that knowledge you know you can absolutely do it again.

And you can take on even more.

Also, talk to your superiors about your career aspirations.

Get them onboard with helping you.

They’ll only know what you want and be able to help you even more if you tell them.