Issue #35: The expectations for a Senior PM, how to handle duplicated products, and the one framework to rule them all

Aug 21, 2023

Hola friends! 👋

This week’s thoughts and feelings include:

The expectations for a Senior PM, how to handle duplicated products, and the one framework to rule them all
(FAKs or Folks.Ask.Kax) Open for Questions!
5 things to help you this week

1️⃣ The expectations for a Senior PM, how to handle duplicated products, and the one framework to rule them all

Right before becoming the Head of Product of our organization, I’ve been invited to be part of an initiative that was pretty critical to our organization.

We just had a merger with another big player which resulted in many complicated implications for the entire organization. Including duplicated products.

And because I was one of the most senior PMs in our group, I was pulled into a workstream that was tasked to figure out what we were going to do.

We had very little to no guidance. So in the beginning, I was feeling lost about the expectations from us.

Was the task force supposed to decide which products we had to deprecate?
Or were we just supposed to decide how the different impacted teams can decide which products to keep?

Unfortunately, the answers we were getting from the steering committee didn’t give any clarity.

We were 4 people in the task force representing both my side of the organization and the one we were merging with. Between ourselves, we all had different interpretations of the task. We were also highly emotional about it because of the potential negative impact on our teams.

Personally, while I was ecstatic to be part of a high-profile critical initiative — I was also very intimidated. I constantly felt like I was way in over my head. In the beginning, I felt like a headless chicken.

This resulted in major decision paralysis.

***

In a plot twist that surprised even me, I found myself taking charge. Something I wouldn’t normally do when surrounded by people who seemed more senior than I was.

Honestly, my motivation was mostly frustration over our lack of progress.

The 3rd time we circled around our confusion — finally made me take a step back from what we were doing. Clearly, our process was not working so we needed to try something else. So I pushed to go back to our basics.

Having a Vision

It was an important exercise we skipped. From the moment we started this task force, we only focused on finding a solution. For what purpose? We weren’t entirely sure. That’s why we couldn’t move forward.

We were also approaching the challenge from a place of defensiveness. We were operating in fear.

Clearly, we needed to reframe. We needed an ideal scenario that we all agreed with and can work towards - as a team.

Our vision was that we will have the best products that can deliver results for our organization. And that our teams will work on meaningful initiatives with clear impact.

Having a vision made us remember that we were on the same side. Which helped us set aside our personal agendas and think more clearly (at least for me).

Defining a Scope

At first, we treated not having clear guidance as a blocker.

But what I realized was that we were in a great position to create guidance directed upwards. We had an opportunity to define our scope ourselves vs just waiting for direction.

A completely empowering moment, I must say.

So we decided that our intended outcome and output was this:

A framework to help us, our teams, decide which products to keep and which ones to deprecate.

We didn’t want to make the decisions ourselves. Instead, we wanted to empower the people who knew more about the products in question to make the decisions on their own.

Identify Problems to Solve

We wanted to empower our teams to make decisions themselves. So we needed to clear the way for them to be able to make this decision.

And there were critical blockers we needed to unblock.

Lack of decision-making criteria
Risks to their stakeholders who were using their product
Risk of the exercise triggering fears for the impacted teams

Find Solutions to the Problem

A framework was our main solution to our primary problem of how can the teams decide which products to keep or let go of.

But what about our other challenges?

The risks for stakeholders and how to mitigate potential fears?

There were many possible solutions and these 2 points probably need a post of their own.

And in between

It’s important to note that in between these steps, we also did an exercise to be upfront about how we were feeling to each other. While this was all about the business — it was also important for me to be grounded on the fact that we were human beings first with valid feelings and concerns.

The task was hard enough so it was important for me that we felt united in this endeavor. And showing vulnerability towards each other was an important step to get there.

***

Lessons Learned from this Experience

Being a Senior PM comes with expectations that go beyond one’s own product. Often it requires looking outside of one’s immediate scope and providing value that has nothing to do with building and more to do with helping the organization improve.
When things feel intimidating and unclear - it’s important to remember that our role as Product people is to create clarity from ambiguity. We’ve done it for our products, and we have the frameworks that help us. We already know what to do. So when things feel intimidating and bigger than what we’ve ever done before, go back to the things we already know. Have a vision. The rest will follow.
The more senior we become, the less guidance we will get. Then there will be that moment in our careers wherein we’re the ones expected to give guidance.
Saying YES to opportunities like this opens one up to so many things not the least of them learnings. But also, visibility in one’s organization, a wider network, and confidence in one’s ability to tackle ambiguous challenges - which often lead to career growth opportunities.
Hold on to our values. Often your values will guide us on what is the right thing to do. And I’m not talking about just the HOW to get things done. But also the HOW to approach things when there are people involved in the equation.

***

Are you facing challenges right now that you’re unsure how to deal with? Or are you looking to become a more Senior PM and wondering how to get there? Having a coach can help you define a strategy to deal with your challenges or achieve your goals. I have 2 coaching slots opening in September and I’d love to help you. Let’s chat!

2️⃣ (FAKs or Folks.Ask.Kax) Call for Questions!

Every week, I answer questions from Product folks about Product Management, Product Leadership, Career Development, and more!

So if you have a question, a tough situation, or a curiosity that you would like to get an answer and a new perspective on, leave them in the comments below and I’ll answer them in the coming newsletters!

3️⃣ Five things to help you this week 🤓

I always talk to my clients, especially the ones who are looking to level up in their roles, about the importance of having a digital presence and being more intentional of the presence they put out there.
nikki espartinez
writes about how to establish credibility and one’s digital presence in a more natural and authentic way.
I’ve been trying to learn more about Product Growth since I started helping out a PM working in a startup . One of the readings that made sense to me was from
How They Grow
shares How to Build A Growth Model
Debbie Widjaja shares The problem-solver’s playbook: 17 questions to sharpen your thinking
Roman Pichler shares top 10 Product Strategy mistakes to avoid. Shoutout to
Amy Mitchell
for sharing this reco on LinkedIn the other day.
Wes Kao writes about how to de-risk yourself if you’re a non-traditional candidate for the role you’re applying for.

Before you go!

Are you struggling with your job search right now? Your application is being ignored? You get feedback along the lines of “We’re just looking for somebody with more experience”. Get my ULTIMATE GUIDE for creating a Sustainable Job Search system for the Modern Product Manager. My newsletter subscribers get a 10% OFF 😎

See you next week!
💙 Kax