From Manager to Leader: Building and Mentoring Product Teams at Scale

The Shift from Execution to Leadership

Transitioning from a product manager (PM) to a product leader is a pivotal shift that requires a recalibration of skills and mindset. As PMs, we are often immersed in the nitty-gritty of execution—managing features, guiding sprints, and ensuring delivery. However, as we ascend into leadership roles, our success becomes increasingly dependent on our ability to foster an environment where teams can thrive, rather than on our individual contributions. This shift is not just about delegation; it's about building a robust infrastructure that supports autonomy, effective decision-making, and a strong product culture. Consider Sundar Pichai's evolution from leading the Chrome team to becoming Google's Product Chief. His role expanded from driving a single product's roadmap to empowering cross-functional teams to operate independently, all while maintaining alignment with Google's overarching vision. This journey underscores the essence of product leadership: moving from execution to empowerment.

1. The Role of a Product Leader in Scaling Teams

A product leader wears multiple hats, each contributing to the growth and success of the team. The primary roles can be categorized as follows:

Visionary: A product leader must articulate a compelling long-term vision that guides product strategy. This vision isn't just about predicting the future but also about creating a roadmap that aligns with broader business goals. For instance, when Claire Hughes Johnson joined Stripe as COO, she recognized the need to transition from a strong engineering culture to a thriving product organization. She introduced frameworks that enabled teams to operate autonomously while staying aligned with Stripe's mission, thus setting a clear vision that empowered her teams.

Enabler: Fostering an environment where teams can operate effectively requires more than just setting a vision. Product leaders must provide the tools, resources, and structure that enable teams to succeed. This includes everything from establishing decision-making frameworks to ensuring that teams have the necessary autonomy. For example,Johnson's introduction of autonomy frameworks at Stripe allowed teams to make decisions independently, which was crucial in scaling their product organization.

Mentor: Mentorship is a cornerstone of effective product leadership. It involves guiding PMs not just in their current roles but also in their long-term career growth. This includes helping them navigate complex stakeholder dynamics, make strategic decisions, and continuously develop their skills.

When Claire Hughes Johnson joined Stripe as COO, the company had a strong engineering culture but lacked a structured product organization. Instead of micromanaging decisions, she introduced frameworks for autonomy, enabling product teams to operate independently while maintaining alignment with Stripe’s mission. This approach not only fostered a culture of ownership but also accelerated the company’s growth.

2. Hiring the Right Talent: Beyond Just Skills

As a product leader, one of your most critical responsibilities is hiring. While technical skills are important, they are not the only factors to consider. At scale, it's about hiring individuals who can grow with the organization and contribute to its long-term success. Here are some attributes to look for:

Product Thinking: Candidates should have the ability to break down complex problems into manageable components. This skill is essential for navigating the intricacies of product development and anticipating future needs.

Customer Obsession: A strong focus on customer needs is crucial. Product leaders should look for individuals who prioritize user needs over internal convenience, as this ensures that the product remains user-centric.

Ownership Mentality: Proactive individuals who take initiative and drive outcomes are vital for a scalable team. They should be results-oriented and willing to take accountability for their work.

Adaptability: In a fast-paced environment, the ability to thrive in ambiguity is essential. Look for candidates who can adapt to changing circumstances and remain effective under pressure.

Amazon is renowned for its rigorous hiring process, which focuses on attributes like "Bias for Action" and "Customer Obsession." Jeff Bezos emphasizes the importance of hiring the right people, stating, “I’d rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.” This approach ensures that product teams remain agile and responsive to changing market demands.

3. Structuring Teams for Scale

As teams grow, their structure becomes critical to maintaining efficiency and effectiveness. The right structure enables teams to operate autonomously while ensuring alignment with broader goals. Common team structures include:

Feature Teams: Each team owns a specific product feature, allowing for deep expertise and focused execution. For example, Spotify's Discover Weekly team is dedicated to enhancing the recommendation algorithm, ensuring continuous improvement.

Customer Journey Teams: These teams are aligned with specific user flows, such as Airbnb’s Host Experience team, which focuses on creating a seamless experience for hosts.

Platform/Product Line Teams: Responsible for infrastructure or specific product lines, such as Apple’s App Store Payments Team, these teams provide foundational support for other product areas.

Initially, Uber had decentralized teams handling pricing, demand prediction, and driver incentives, leading to conflicting changes. To address this, Uber formed a centralized Marketplace Team to oversee these areas, ensuring global consistency while allowing local adjustments. This structural change improved efficiency and alignment.

4. Building a Strong Decision-Making Framework

Decentralized decision-making is crucial for scaling, but it must be balanced with alignment to ensure coherent execution. Establishing clear frameworks helps teams make decisions confidently while maintaining strategic alignment.

Product Principles: These are non-negotiable guidelines that serve as a foundation for decision-making. For example, Netflix’s “Freedom & Responsibility” principle encourages autonomy while maintaining accountability.

Decision Logs: Documenting decisions and their rationale helps avoid repeating mistakes and provides a historical reference for future decisions.

Escalation Criteria: Clearly define when decisions should be made at the team level versus escalated to leadership, ensuring that decisions are made at the appropriate level.

Airbnb’s “70% Rule” allows teams to move forward with decisions when they have 70% confidence, without requiring approval from leadership. This accelerates execution while maintaining accountability. As Airbnb scaled, this approach freed up leadership bandwidth and empowered teams to act decisively.

5. Coaching and Mentorship: Developing Future Leaders

Great product leaders invest in developing future leaders within their teams. This involves:

Regular 1:1s: These meetings should focus on long-term career growth, providing guidance and support.

Exposure to Leadership: Involving PMs in strategic discussions and decisions helps them understand the broader picture and develop leadership skills.

Feedback Culture: Encouraging open and constructive feedback fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

Stretch Assignments: Assigning high-impact projects that push PMs beyond their comfort zone accelerates their growth and prepares them for leadership roles.

As Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg was instrumental in developing product talent. She encouraged PMs to "take a seat at the table," pushing them to present directly to Mark Zuckerberg and other executives. This practice built confidence and accelerated career growth for many leaders at Meta.

6. Scaling Culture Alongside Teams

As teams grow, culture must be actively reinforced to prevent dilution. A strong culture aligns team behavior with company values, ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of shared values.

Celebrate Wins: Acknowledging achievements reinforces behaviors that align with company values and motivates teams.

Encourage Collaboration: Fostering cross-functional collaboration prevents silos and promotes shared learning, enhancing team cohesion.

Keep User-Centricity at the Core: Ensuring that teams remain focused on solving real user problems prevents the organization from becoming internally focused.

Shopify’s CEO, Tobi Lütke, introduced the concept of the “Trust Battery,” emphasizing that every interaction should build trust among employees. This philosophy nurtured a high-trust culture, enabling Shopify’s product teams to scale effectively while maintaining strong collaboration and alignment.

Conclusion: Leadership as a Force Multiplier

Transitioning from product manager to product leader is not about doing more; it’s about enabling more. The most effective leaders:

• Hire and nurture the right talent.
• Structure teams for autonomy and efficiency.
• Establish clear decision-making frameworks.
• Act as mentors, not just managers.
• Scale culture alongside team growth.

Ultimately, great product leaders build teams that build great products. If you're stepping into a leadership role, ask yourself: Are you solving problems, or are you enabling others to solve them? That’s the true test of a product leader.

By focusing on these strategies, you can transition from managing individual contributions to leading teams that drive impactful results. Remember, leadership is not about controlling every detail but about creating an environment where your team can thrive, innovate, and achieve extraordinary outcomes.