5 Practical Tips to Chart Your Product Career Paths

Welcome to the latest issue of the Product Management Learning Series - a series of live streaming events and newsletter articles to help you level up your product career! ??

In our 29th installment, our speaker was Tricia Lee , the General Manager of Augmented Content Experience on Prime Video at Amazon, a multi-disciplinary organization that builds immersive product experiences for streaming video and live sports to bring consumers closer to the entertainment they know and love. Tricia has over 20 years of experience leading and growing technology teams on both small and large scales, with a focus on innovative technologies paired with intuitive, and impactful product design. In her previous experience, Tricia has led teams at Microsoft across Xbox, music, and game studios, headed global product/tech at Viking Cruises, led streaming technology teams at Sony as an SVP, and led Product at several start-ups including Quibi.?

If you missed the event, you can watch the full event recording here.??

Empathize with your cross-functional teams to communicate effectively with them.

Tricia explained that in a non-core tech company, such as a marketing or hardware company, the lead function can sometimes be a non-technical one, like marketing or finance. In contrast, at a core tech company like Amazon or Microsoft, most employees have a basic understanding of engineering, and deep technology conversations are the norm. As a result, working as a product manager in a non-core tech company can mean spending more time explaining to non-technical colleagues the complexity of building software, while also learning how their worlds and functional language impact your ability to build products.

One key practical takeaway from Tricia is regardless of whether you work in a core tech or non-core tech company, it's essential to be conversant in the language of the functions that carry influence in your company to communicate effectively with colleagues who may have different backgrounds or skill sets. This is especially true for product managers who need to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical teams.

Find your career North Star and don't forget to enjoy the journey when planning out the next steps in your career.?

Tricia mentioned that in order to make successful career choices, you need to identify your North Star career goal, and deeply invest in the skill sets needed to get there. This involves asking yourself where you see yourself in five years, and whose job you would want to have, and why. By identifying your North Star and focusing on learning the necessary skills to reach it, you can better reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement. This will help you to choose the next role or journey that will add to your "skills backpack" and propel you towards your North Star goal.

It is important to note that your career trajectory may not always be a straight path, and it is crucial to be invested and excited about any pivots or changes you make. It is also important to focus on the journey rather than solely the outcome for yourself. You shouldn’t become a Product Manager because you want to manage people, but because you actually enjoy solving problems for customers and working with your peers to build the best product experiences to delight your customers.?

When making decisions on career moves, do something you believe in, focus on how you can grow, consider skills that you can uniquely contribute, and do it with people that you like.?

Tricia shared a four step framework when thinking about career decisions. Tricia first mentioned that it is important to choose a job that aligns with your beliefs and values. When you believe in what you are doing, you are more motivated to work hard and contribute to the organization. Second she mentioned to prioritize growth opportunities in your role, whether it be through learning new skills or taking on new challenges. This not only benefits you, but also the organization you work for as you become a more valuable asset. Third, Tricia shared that you should consider the unique skills you can bring to the table, especially if you come from a different industry or background. This diversity of skills and experiences can lead to innovative solutions and a more well-rounded team. And lastly, Tricia mentioned that working with people you enjoy can make a significant impact on your job satisfaction and overall happiness so that is an important consideration as well.?

Find the company stage that aligns with your career goals for the best fit.

Tricia shared her insights on the differences between working at companies of various stages, she mentioned that startups are chaotic and everyone is doing everything, and there is always a worry about financial runway and product success. On the other hand, bigger mature companies have more structure and an inherent ability to reach a larger customer base, but can be slower moving. Tricia gravitates towards growth-stage teams, which have momentum and a great opportunity ahead of them, but are also chaotic, offering the best of both worlds.

General Managers have a wider scope than Product Managers, including direct P&L ownership, and work as a PM can prepare you well to progress to a GM role.

Tricia shared that a GM role differs from that of a PM in that a GM is responsible for managing multiple functions and a mini P&L (profit and loss). As a GM, Tricia oversees product managers, full-stack engineering teams, growth product marketing, design, and content creators, bringing them all together to deliver products. GMs do this all the while making sure that people on the team are developing and growing in their careers in addition to building the best products they can.?

Tricia mentioned that to be a good GM you need to communicate and collaborate well with people in other functions, something that a PM role prepares you really well for as that is a core function of any PM role. However, outside of the normal scope of being a PM, you also need to be enthusiastic about exploring other areas of the business, such as marketing, finance, and fundraising, and optimizing product development based on resource constraints.?

Additional gems from Tricia:

?? Tricia’s current favorite product is Down Dog Yoga, it is an app that customizes your yoga practice.?

?? J Allard, Microsoft's first Chief Product Officer, and founder of the Xbox, was one of Tricia's earliest product role models. He helped her think systematically and lean into building products for purpose and passion.?

?? Tricia shared two final pieces of advice. The first, for aspiring product managers, she recommended reading the book The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman, a book that she really loved and that got her excited about her work as a PM. The second piece of advice, for current PMs, is the importance of studying psychology and storytelling since products are about telling stories through their functionality.?

?? Special kudos to Andrew Altschuler for writing this article.

Next up,

• February 24: Building Enterprise Products & Scaling in Emerging Markets with Karan Anand
• March 10: [Special Edition] Thriving as Women Innovators in Tech/Product Panel Discussion
• March 17: Lean UX & Forever Employable with Jeff Gothelf
• March 24: Future of Responsible AI with Navrina Singh
• April 14: Unlocking the Secrets of Startup Growth with Casey Winters
• April 21: Merging Forces: The Future of Product & Marketing Teams
• April 28: From Founding Product School to Helping Others Landing Product Jobs
• May 19: Building Impactful Products People Love with Jiaona Zhang

More sessions coming… subscribe to stay tuned!?

Learn more about the Product Management Learning Series and view past recordings here.