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.

Setting yourself and your team up for success as a #product leader: Let’s break down what it means to be a product leader, shall we?

It feels like:
-emotional ups and downs
-alignment and then not
-great days and then…gosh, what happened?

And sometimes this leads to:
-am I sure this is the career path for me?

How to be happy in your #productmanagement career: Recognize that practicing product in your org is likely vastly different from the ideal product practices you read about in books.

This should be talked about more.

I've gotten feedback on how it feels to be part of a #productmgmt org in traditional companies.

Sharing what I'm hearing and sharing my first-hand experiences/advice in case it helps people.

I also think we can help each other. See how below.

Ok, here goes: First, in case you missed it, here's the original thread that kicked everything off:

https://twitter.com/NicoleDaines/status/1482438718371815436

Reflecting on introducing #product to a traditional org.

I made some (now obvious) mistakes and learned some lessons the hard way.

Time to represent the unglamorous side of #productmanagement: Context: this was my first time entering a traditional org that never had product before.

I had no idea just how hard it would be as an outsider.

My boss and I were both new, and everyone we worked with had been there for some time.

Ok, let's dive in.

Thinking about a #product leader’s ability to deliver impact at scale. 🧵

What would you add?

#productmanagement #productleadership Consistency.

Influence and trust is built through demonstrated and consistent results. It is not built through who has the best idea.

Show stakeholders that you’ve done it before as evidence you can do it again.

You'll be able to earn more ambitious goals/scope each time.

A few things I wish I would've known as an early-career #product manager

#productmanagement 1) Building relationships and trust is everything.

You need to be able to influence others, and in order to do that, you need to spend lots of time with people at all levels in the organization.

Seek input, incorporate ideas, build off of each other.

Taking on a new product portfolio at work and it’s gotten me back in pure discovery mode. It’s awesome starting a new team from scratch.

Here’s how I do it: First task is to learn about the users and their problems, as well as my stakeholders and their needs.

Thinking about that transition from having a daily "to-do" list to having higher level work that you simply make progress on each day.

A leadership story.🧵 When I first moved into a higher level role, I had no idea what to do with myself all day.