How can you stay motivated after being passed over for a Product Management promotion?

If you get passed over, ask for feedback (in a kind way), which is a gift! Leverage that feedback to improve not only your resume, but also other PM skills that companies look for. For example, earlier in my career, I was passed over for a promotion because I didn't communicate the need to bring marketing/sales in earlier in the product life cycle process. They were looking for someone to come in and build a stronger relationship with marketing/sales. While I was disappointed in my word choices, I took that guidance and started building a stronger relationship with more teams across the org. It was a blind spot as a PM that helped me get that next job opportunity.

Don’t fall for the trap of projecting your emotions onto the organization. There’s a good chance this decision was unrelated to your performance. You are one cog in a larger machine and success is measured over years, not single promotions. Keep putting in the work and trust the process.

The source of motivation for your work should not be based on whether you are getting a promotion or not. This is not a healthy mindset, in my opinion. What should be your driving factor is the motivation for learning, growing, and delivering value. As long as you are doing those things, promotion or not aside, you should be motivated. It is of course important that you are recognized for your contributions and skills, and that those align with your role. Analyze the reasons why your promotion was denied, and whether you have any influence in this decision. If you lost all motivation after a promotion denial, I would suggest you reconsider your priorities and intrinsic motivations.

If your in pursuit of or you judge your success based on title or money than IMO your idea of success will lead to misfortune in so many other areas of life. Value life, family then work and it’ll all fall into place. I forget where I heard this: money can’t buy happiness and happiness can’t buy anything. But that’s so materialistic. Everyone values things differently, but I cherish and hold the value of life and believe this world no matter what ugliness is visually rendered, there’s still untapped beauty that surrounds us every day. No title, job position, pay will change or move that from the top of the list.

I'm keeping best resolutios in bullet points: 1. First of all make yourself calm and take every aspect positively. I know it's very hard but believe me it's the best medicine. 2. Ask for detailed feedback for not considering. This will give you a chance to understand what actually is the expectation to excel. 3. Now it's the time to work hard on that part to uplift. 4. Whether it's internal opportunity to be promoted or external to crack and acquire. Resolution steps remains the same. 5. If you're working hard to achieve something and your luck also working towards it - No one can stop you. 6. Last but not the least, if you can take the extreme negative situation in a positive way in your life - you will succeed ???.

In my experience, specific feedback is essential and helpful to serve as a guide on what an individual needs to focus/ adapt in the short term and in the future. There is no better way for the individual to have clear and concise goals to work towards getting the promotion the candidate is looking forward to.

Moving up in product management is incredibly difficult, not because the next step is so much harder, but because it requires so much more trust to be in charge of the tougher product strategy decisions that will define the trajectory and investments a company makes. Unlike in university or in very junior roles, execution is not enough to move up anymore, and it's important to understand what skills or behaviors are missing to gain that trust from your team to make the key product decisions. Don't be afraid to ask for this feedback, but guide the conversation in a way where it it doesn't have to feel confrontational. Instead of asking "why didn't I get X", ask "what do you recommend I need to work on this year to get X a year from now".

What I've found useful is to reflect and pivot based on the feedback you get. It is important to understand why there was a misalignment in your own expectations and the outcome i.e not receiving a promotion. Bring clarity to your future goals and align with your manager and peers so that you set a continuous feedback loop and review cycle throughout the year and are not suprised at the end of the year with the outcome next time.

If you were expecting a promotion and didn’t get it then there is definitely a gap between your perception and reality. The only way to bridge that is through feedback. This shouldn’t be just a knee jerk reaction as a response to not getting promoted. Feedback can come from your manager, skip level, peers and customers. Some ways to make feedback part of your regular flow is: - Have regular weekly 1:1 with your manager. Set time aside in each meeting for getting feedback. Use the 1:1’s to also circle back on the actions you took and the progress you made on the feedback - Atleast meet your skip level once a quarter for a high level feedback - Touch base with your key stakeholders on a regular basis to see where you can add value

After a promotion disappointment, seeking feedback is a crucial step. Engage in conversations with your manager, peers, and other stakeholders. Listen with an open and curious mind, valuing their insights. Constructive feedback not only helps you understand the reasons behind the decision but also reveals your strengths and areas for improvement. It's an opportunity for personal and professional growth, allowing you to set realistic and actionable goals for your continued development. Remember, feedback is a valuable tool on the path to success.

Horizontal scaling is very important. As a product manager, you constantly need to focus on value you deliver. Seek holistic feedback from relevant stakeholders, and analyse critically only to improve. There will be some outliers, learn to ignore them and prioritise the realistic ones to your roadmap. Resilience is key, upgrade yourself constantly to stay relevant. Use technology to deliver better at scale. Keep testing your progress with relevant stakeholders. Stay ambitious and keep up your aspirations, at the same time be pragmatic that it’s not only a factor of how you perform; but how the organisation grow as a whole.

I respectfully disagree with the premise of "focus on your value." The single most important thing is to make it about customer outcomes. Knowing what the customer wants is the single most valuable thing you can possibly contribute. Everything else is noise.

Your value as a PM is to guide your team to build customer-centric products. While promotion is a type of recognition, there are many other ways to seek validation for your work such as engagement, revenue and other KPIs. Focus on other ways to measure and validate your value if you get passed for a promotion. This focus on value (measured by other KPIs) will help you stay motivated to continue having an impact on your team/ company while bolstering your chances of a promotion in the next cycle.

Ask yourself. How can I bring in more value to the team? Is it by doing more of what I’m already doing? Or are there other things that I can focus on that would make my contribution more valuable and worthwhile. Through feedback you’ll be able to find where to focus on. And the definition of “value” keeps changing as an organization goes through different stages of growth. Sometimes bringing more “process” to the madness during the growth phase adds value while being “resourceful” during the PMF phase could be valued more than other skills. Either you build new skills or apply existing skills in areas where you can bring out the best output for the team.

- For me, it’s not about the designation, it’s always about the complexity of work I am doing. I have seen PM switches with lower designation but better access to Top Management, means more complex tasks, means more learning. Any CEO is CEO because of the responsibility he/she is holding not because responsibility is given after the designation. “As they say, you grow into the role”

Have you been passed for promotion more than once in the same team? It could mean that maybe the company doesn't have enough opportunities for the kind of growth you are looking for. Product teams are often small. And if you've worked as an individual contributor till now and looking to move to people management then you need to take a hard look at your organization and ask if it make sense to look outside.

Although I agree about the fact that some organizations do not have room for growth for every member and it is healthy to grow elsewhere outside of the immediate team, I have seen many scenarios where the ask for a growth opportunity is interpreted differently by every level. Sometimes the employee is eager to learn, invest in one self and not usually asking for more money or higher status.

Es importante si la persona que postuló, pasó por un proceso formal, en caso de no ser seleccionado/a, reciba el correspondiente feedback. Esa instancia permite contener los niveles de frustración y proveer coach de calidad para mejorar lo que haya que mejorar o definitivamente decidir si la organización en la que estás es el lugar donde quieres desarrollar tu carrera. En estos procesos es importante que el postulante tenga un nivel de Self Awareness adecuado, porque muchas veces está mi visión respecto a como soy y que soy capaz de entregar, pero también muchas veces nos cuesta descubrir los gaps que nos impiden crecer al ritmo que queremos.. Para eso es importante tener planes de desarrollo sólidos y buenos mentores.

By exploring new opportunities outside the company, it's beneficial to find a better opportunity. Sometimes, the issue may not be with you; it could be that your current company's human resource structure cannot support your promotion. In such cases, you can choose to leave and seek your career elsewhere (but remember to have a good goodbye). Alternatively, if you cannot find a better opportunity outside the company, you can gain a better understanding of your current company's decision and focus on ways to improve yourself.

From personal experience, I've found other opportunities when my manager wasn't able to build a believable plan with me to meet my career aspirations, or when my manager wasn't interested in working with me on building my career. A manager who doesn't support your career growth is an excellent reason to find another position, inside or outside of the company.

Regardless of the outcome here, it's important to seek continuous learning in this increasingly VUCA world. While today's outcome is not your preferred one, your hunger for continues improvement could make the difference next time around so don't block yourself from future success as a result of this setback.

The worst thing you can do is become passive-aggressive about your situation. Always do your best work, even if you're looking actively for other opportunities. In the best case, you will draw the attention of others in your current position, or you will encourage others who can see the value you bring to offer you opportunities more in line with your career aspirations. When you are 100% satisfied with your skills, you become complacent, and complacency in the tech industry is death for career aspirations.

Product management is the ultimate in matrix roles. Many constituencies. All speaking different languages. I highly recommend _Master the Matrix_ by Susan Finerty.

Being overlooked for a promotion in product management can be disheartening, but it’s important to remember that career advancement isn’t solely about upward movement. It’s crucial to focus on personal and professional development, as improving skills is an investment in oneself and increases value to the employer. Understand that companies have varied criteria for promotions; sometimes, tenure may be prioritized over performance. Use this as a chance to explore new opportunities and seek mentorship. Networking can offer fresh perspectives and unexpected pathways. Ultimately, your worth is defined by your contributions and commitment to growth, not just by a title.

Stay motivated after a promotion setback by adopting a continuous learning mindset. Keep abreast of industry trends, attend workshops, and embrace skill development in areas like data analysis, user experience design or other skillsets that target the role you’d like to go after. Network with seasoned professionals, seek mentorship, and actively contribute to impactful projects within your current role. Demonstrate initiative, resilience, and a commitment to growth.

Promotion in a product management space comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. It depends on each individual how they consider it. Irrespective of the person, passionate towards the role, Empathy towards the customers, Balanced emotional intelligence, Stakeholder management, Customer Relationship, Lead by example are some of the key traits that one should never leave from their books. Promotion/role upgrade in any field will come with more responsibilities and one should ensure and know that for every step they grow there will be an exponential count of eyes that will be watching them. This means one should strike things with heart and balance without over reacting. @ the end the customer to whom you are serving is the ultimatum.

In this open space, let me share a few heartfelt insights. When you encounter a promotion setback, nurturing a growth mindset becomes very important. Challenges are not roadblocks but stepping stones to improvement. Seek mentorship from those who have walked this path, learning from their experiences. Moreover, remember that your career journey is unique. Avoid comparing it to others'. Embrace patience, flexibility, and a steady commitment to your goals. Lastly, remember that: Success often rewards those who persist with passion and firm determination.

Like all managerial roles a product manager is partly product and partly management. Be open to see and hear why someone else got it, does it root in technical skills or the human aspects of the role? Can you work on improving one or both parts, most likely yes. Invest in yourself too improve if your current workplace doesn't acknowledge that you can just move on to a place where they see and recognize your skill set. In short, use "setbacks" to further build yourself.

It's important to know that you have a manager who wants you to succeed. Find this out early before you take that role or by gathering inputs from various people within the org. Some of things that have helped me in my career are as follows: 1. Build strong relationships within your team and other business units you are interfacing. 2. Communicate you career goals clearly. 3. Demonstrate your commitment and dedication by going above and beyond. 4. Proactively initiate knowledge-sharing initiatives within your organization. 5. Advocate for the adoption of new product management methodologies and talk about how it would improve the outcomes. 6. Dedicate time to supporting go-to-market activities and contribute to revenue generation.

Start your own company based on an idea or concept you are deeply passionate about. You may not know your why as of yet, but after many iterations, failures, and successes, you surely will not care about the promotion that they skipped you on in Product Management.