Thanks to a friend I got access to the Organizational Management module of the Product Strategy Course by Reforge. It is an hour long module that focuses on how to grow your product organisation. It also has a section on how to think about product careers.

Here are my notes:

To better work with execs, understand ther:

  1. priorities.
  2. constraints.
  3. preferred collaboration model.

Your communication model with them should be: story-driven, brief, and answer first (pyramid structure).

Best way to give feedback to reportees:

  1. Timely
  2. In the right channel
  3. The message should be specific
  4. Observation and not opinion, and finally
  5. Actionable.

How to work as a PM manager: You should be able to walk into a room with 30% context, identify what’s wrong, course correct and add value instead of taking ownership of every single thing that your team is doing. Don’t own features on behalf of your team. Let them learn.

How manage your time:

  1. Evaluate calendar for relevance and importance.
  2. List every recurring meeting, duration, frequency.
  3. Then assign an importance score.
  4. See if they match your priority.
  5. Then take action: maintain, remove, turn into an async update or merge with something else.

How to think about your PM career:

  1. Look for environments where there is enough opportunity for growth.
  2. Ask:
    • Is there a chance this company can grow 10 or 100X?
    • Can I meaningfully impact the odds of success?
    • Will my contribution be recognized and rewarded?
  3. Do:
    • Grow your career with adjacencies.
    • Increase optionality through startups, EIR roles, side gigs, MBA.
    • Find opportunities through tailwind.
    • Join ambitious companies.
    • Blend multiple high-demand skills.
    • Wear more hats.