Professional Documents
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From Individual Contributor To Director of Product by ProductPlan
From Individual Contributor To Director of Product by ProductPlan
Contributor to
Director of Product
Table of Contents
Why We Wrote This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03
things moving for their individual areas of interest and ownership. 100 employees to even be included on the senior management team and
interact directly with board members, investors, and other key stakeholders.
role in shaping what a Director’s position entails. you as you settle into a full-time management role for a team with multiple
product managers. This frees up some time to focus on higher-level strategy
and creating alignment with the rest of senior management.
This diversity in daily duties continues at the director level, but not always But that doesn’t mean your schedule will suddenly open up. Instead of the
for the same reasons. At this stage, the organization’s size and maturity more tactical activities that take up much of a product manager’s day, much
play a pivotal role in shaping what a Director’s position entails. more time will be spent on your staff. This includes mentorship, oversight,
training and development, and continually assessing, upgrading, and
growing your team.
Directors also hold a weekly staff meeting for their entire team, providing an
opportunity for each team member to share updates and discuss important
issues impacting the entire product team. This insight into how the various
products and projects are progressing creates both transparency and
camaraderie for the entire team.
Interesting Actionable
Do you find the topics of these meetings interesting? If not then you may Will anything change because of these interactions? If there are no action
want to adjust the agendas to make sure you’re devoting time to things that items when you’re done, you probably didn’t need to bother with it at all.
are actually of interest to those in attendance. Otherwise shift it to an email
or Slack exchange to share information, answer questions, and minimize
wasted time. Clear
Meaningful should walk away with clarity regarding what was covered and how to
move forward. If it requires further communication, that should be planned
Will the outcome of these interactions result in important decisions being for upfront.
made or critical conversations occurring? If not, question why they’re
needed to begin with.
Testable
People How can we confirm our assumptions that we’ve made the right decisions?
What are the ongoing metrics and KPIs we’ll use to validate our hypotheses
Are the right people in the room? Are there people there that don’t need and define success? An untestable strategy creates stagnation and apathy.
to be? Is your weekly schedule getting you facetime with the individuals
you need it with most? Don’t waste your time or other’s if they don’t need
to be there.
Note: Of course, not every individual contributor—despite their • Proactively identify and address issues that could impact
success and aptitude for the role—makes a great director, just product delivery or quality.
like your best salespeople often make for lousy managers. While
• Develop metrics and KPIs for measuring progress and success
experience and aptitude for product management are key, there’s
• Advocate for/be the voice of the customer
a whole extra set of skills and talents that management must tap
into as well. • Promote and evangelize the product offering within the
organization
Leading a team is all about the success of its members, which is a big This may be an unexpected blow to your ego. After all, you’ve already
change from going it alone. Adopting a servant-based leadership style is thrived as an individual contributor. Do you really have to operate at their
important, as it places the emphasis on the triumphs of the team members level now that you’ve risen above it?
themselves.
But this investment in the success of individual team members is how you
plant the seeds and create a framework for them to each grow and thrive
on their own. And with their maturity, success, and confidence, you can
Leading a team is all about the success of its empower them to be more autonomous and independent while always
members—a big change from going it alone. knowing you’ve got their back and are happy to lend a hand if and when the
occasion arises.
This altruistic approach also builds trust with your team members. They
This is a far cry from traditional, top-down leadership where the top dogs
know you’re invested in their success, so they’re happier to return the favor
issue orders then sit back while their minions carry them out. Instead,
for you or their peers.
servant leaders do everything in their power to aid, assist, and facilitate the
success of individuals on their staff.
We’re not talking about ice breakers and trust falls. Directors of Product out their skills and abilities during the interviewing process, confirming
must hire and develop the right individual talent to optimize their teams they can do some of the core tasks they’ll be asked to do if hired. And as
for the greatest impact. Hiring managers have an obligation to not just find those needs grow, change, and evolve, that includes adding, reshuffling,
a resume that fits the job description. They must recruit and bring on staff and occasionally upgrading staff to recalibrate the squad to the current
that truly augment and improve the team. situation.
Using the IMPACT framework, new hires should possess some key traits. But having the right people in place isn’t enough. Even the perfect
These include being interested in things and possessing a natural curiosity combination of talent still demands ongoing education, training, coaching,
that drives them to embrace lifetime learning. They should truly embrace and personal development. While you may deliver some of that yourself,
being part of a team and the collaboration and communication that goes more important is identifying those needs and creating opportunities for
with that, including active listening and the ability to deliver information staff to work on them.
both clearly and concisely. Look for candidates that don’t just have good
ideas but understand how to turn those into action. And the best managers also take ownership of the career development of
their staff. So not only are you increasing their competence and skill for the
This requires matching up the overall team needs with the right skills and challenges of today, you’re also preparing them for their futures, both within
experience, having done work before that was meaningful to the success your team and beyond the organization. Tending to this “talent tree” directly
of their previous businesses and their customers. This might require testing impacts your legacy and reputation as years go by.
While everyone on the product team always serves as an unofficial By proactively educating staff and promoting the many capabilities and
spokesperson for their product in every interaction they have with advantages of the product, you raise everyone’s game when it comes to how
colleagues, Directors of Product have an expanded and more complex they position and sell it. You can also motivate staff and get them excited
role in this regard. Not only must you be fluent in the product’s value about the progress the business is making and upcoming opportunities for
proposition, benefits, functionality, and limitations, but you must also be its the product, since everyone wants to be on a winning team.
Product managers always must play nicely with others to get anything done But the more holistic thinking that comes with a Director of Product role
since they don’t “own” the resources that actually build, ship, and sell their enables enough distance from the day-to-day drama to treat stakeholders
products. But at the Director-level the need for building bridges between with the same respect and understanding you’d offer to customers. You
other business functions and breaking down silos is more vital than ever. have the power to understand their pain points, needs, concerns, and the
like and then coach your staff on how to factor those into their interactions.
Not only will you be asking for help and lobbying for your team’s initiatives
to get the attention and work they require, you’re also on the hook for Additionally, with increased visibility into what’s happening in those other
managing the interpersonal dynamics between your staff and colleagues in teams that’s completely unrelated to a specific product or feature, you
other departments. can better anticipate trouble and help the team avoid some conflicts
altogether. Your removal from the day-to-day can create a more empathetic
When one of your team members starts a fire, you’re on the hook to help environment versus an antagonistic setting.
put it out. If there’s a toxic relationship or major disconnect, you need to
placate, smooth over, and work things out.
The environment Directors of Product create for their team inevitably The best teams embrace continuous learning, which requires everyone to
impacts their performance and job satisfaction. When everyone’s too busy acknowledge they still make mistakes and don’t know everything. Letting
protecting their mini-empires and casting blame when things go awry, them all admit their mistakes, ask for help, and focus on improvement sets
there’s little opportunity for growth and collaboration. the right tone and lays the foundation for a culture of gratitude.
Ideally, the team truly feels like they’re all in it together. It’s not about
competition or jockeying for internal position, but rather supporting one
The best teams embrace continuous learning, another and creating a team greater than the sum of its parts.
These are the defining tenets of successful product leadership, and A product team’s ultimate judgment comes from its ability to hit milestones
they must be imbued in the team as well. Everyone should have an and move the needle on key metrics. No matter how great your processes,
unquenchable thirst for more knowledge, information, and data along with morale, or relationships may be, nothing else matters in the end.
a fuller understanding of their customer pain points and the larger context.
Great leaders ensure their staff know what’s being measured and the
There’s no place where this philosophy comes into sharper focus than progress toward those goals. These KPIs remain top of mind and drive
product roadmaps. A ruthless evaluation of every item, theme, and decision making, prioritization, and the necessary urgency to achieve them.
objective should occur on an ongoing basis, validating assumptions based
on the latest customer research and feedback. Connecting the actions and decisions of individual team members and
their product domains to this larger vision lands on the Director of Product’s
Constantly challenging the status quo and reevaluating things is one shoulders. Stakeholder alignment doesn’t mean much if your own team isn’t
of product management’s core roles, but that doesn’t happen without drinking the Kool-Aid. What gets them out of bed in the morning should be
encouragement from above. Lifetime learning should be the rule rather the same thing serving as your own internal alarm clock.
than the exception.
of multiple people. every day, building them up and giving them the authority and space to
fulfill their potential and achieve all that’s possible. This requires delegating
responsibilities and giving up direct ownership of many particulars in
exchange for holistic, bigger-picture responsibilities.
As a Director, you will instantly have increased visibility throughout the
organization. You become the “face of product” and all the pluses and This necessitates taking risks and trusting staff while still ensuring they’re
minuses that accompany that. When things go great, you get the credit, and following through on the vision and goals. The balance between too long of
when things don’t pan out, you take on the blame. a leash and micromanagement often differs between one employee and the
next, so a one-size-fits-all management style may not work.
You also get increased visibility into the rest of the organization. Even if
you’re not yet part of the senior management team, you’ll still get exposed Mentoring staff and facilitating their own journeys and growth comes with
to additional aspects of the business and have additional opportunities to rewards and difficulties as well. You can take pride in their successes while
contribute ideas and opinions. lamenting their stumbles, coaching them all along the way.
Identify who within your organization would need to both initiate and
support your promotion and forge/reinforce your relationships with them.
Make it clear that while you’re focused on the job you have today that you
also have a larger understanding of the overall business.
Get outside your comfort zone and take on new and additional
responsibilities that expand your repertoire and round out your expertise.
That could be managing a different type of product, diving deeper into
new technologies of verticals, or filling some other gap in your repertoire.
Ask your peers and senior leaders what else they’re looking for in a product
leader that you haven’t yet mastered and seek out those opportunities.
While mentoring and managing aren’t the same thing, they both use a lot Separate yourself from your product and boost your profile both internally
of the same skills. Having to put yourself in another person’s shoes and give and externally. Whether it’s networking, becoming a social media
them guidance on how to deal with tricky situations is excellent training for personality, contributing articles to the company blog, or landing speaking
when you’re managing a team. Extra credit if your organization has a formal slots at conferences, you need to get your name out there.
mentoring program you can partake in.
BE READY TO LEAVE
GET A MENTOR
Director of Product opportunities aren’t as common as some other roles, so
You could also benefit from some outside advice as well. Ask someone more you may find that upward mobility is limited at your current employer. If your
senior than you that you respect to take you under their wing. Be open and path is crowded with more senior folks or the current Director-level staff
honest with them about your career goals and solicit guidance specifically show no signs of moving on or moving up, you may need to look elsewhere
to reach them. to finally land that job.
However, you no longer have the same control. Your success isn’t just
based on coming up with good ideas, validating them, and making sure the
development team implements them correctly. Now you’re measured based
on the performance and outcomes of an entire team. Your fate is in their
hands as well, which can be a challenging and difficult change.
But for those up to the challenge, there’s an entirely new set of rewards that
await. Not only will you have a hand in the future of multiple products and a
larger share of the overall company’s success, but you can also experience
the pride and satisfaction that comes with seeing the individuals you lead
have their own victories. Knowing you’ve helped others achieve their own
goals is often more satisfying than reaching your own.