Really well done write up. Appreciate this more level approach. Everyone is fighting with their existential angst right now. Been meaning to write about it as well.
A part that got me hung up a bit was the fact that they reserved PM'ing for senior only roles... how do people grow into that role?
It seems like more and more companies want some other org to grow PMs and then hire them when they are "ready" for the big leagues. I've seen this pattern with more PMs coming out of "big 4" consultancies once they are able to work in an office, etc.
This feels like a bad pattern that will lead with a lack of PM growth all around...
I see this as a natural compression pattern. When PM roles are more scarce, they will skew more senior due to the higher "per capita" leverage & scope these roles will have. It does imply that early career PMs are being developed elsewhere - which is likely an anti-pattern. I also see this pattern correcting itself over time as companies increasingly encounter the natural limitations of "fewer, more senior" PMs.
I agree with "Product Manager" being a senior only position, tho I prefer the title Product Lead or Product Researcher for a few reasons. For me the question of how someone grows into it is simple, from another career path. As a CPO this is how I've hired my product team.
In my experience there are generally two broad types of PMs;
Someone with specific domain knowledge, who you can then train in product research theory & practices. E.g. a former doctor working on a clinical app.
Someone with other experience in tech who can train up in the domain. Likely with senior IC experience in one or more of design, engineering, or research (data, UXR etc) roles
I wondered the same thing, it feels like it could hamper the—imo, positive—aspect of PMs coming from all sorts of backgrounds. It could contribute to conflating a PM with a full on management role that comes with seniority, rather than an IC path on its own.
It does raise an interesting question of how to balance Junior/Associate PM roles with having a broader responsibility on marketing and P&L. I feel today the seniority of PM roles is often focused on increasing the scope of the areas of product (e.g. owning a feature -> owning a product area -> owning the product), so it'd be interesting to explore how to match that in a scenario where being a PM encompasses the product development and marketing angle.
Thanks Melissa and John, totally agree with your comments.
Here are 4 key aspects I'd also have expected to be covered during the podcast:
- ABB introduced a Program Manager role: what are the specific activities and responsibilities for that new role, and how it inter-connects with Engineers and Pms? did it impact some of the direct work and rituals between PMs and Eng?
- Do they have any kind of Product operation function? (PMs are already stretched across discovery and delivery, adding PMM responsibilities on 2 major releases seems like a major addition..)
- They have both PM and PMM duties under a single PM role: beyond pure seniority, PMM taps into distinct skills and know-how, so how do they ensure their senior PMs perform well and consistently in those new duties?
- How does Product learn and validate assumptions, (live) prototypes in-between their Summer and Winter releases? any pool of guests & hosts to get both qualitiative or quantitative, usage feedbacks?
The 'wartime' vs 'peacetime' angle, alongside the changes in the macro environment, were the questions that I wondered the most about.
It seemed that covid forcing them to go into emergency mode acted as a forcing function for reducing work in progress and prioritising their top bets (shifting to "three teams working on one thing" versus before "one team working on three things", which Brian mentions), which would also contribute to the feeling of a renewed sense of focus.
It’s useful to apply critical thinking and a temporal lens to this topic. Thanks John & Melissa!
To me, much of what the Airbnb changes boil down to an intent to return them to centering the customer in their decision-making.
- bringing a more external focus to the PM role
- consolidating around a unified roadmap for the company
- establishing a 30-40 person brain trust for efficient decisions
- breaking down Guest vs Host silos
- converging on biannual seasonal major releases
- empowering design more as a function
My hope is that more companies assess how they can ensure customers-centricity prevails, and realize that shifting to “tops-down” central command isn’t the only way to get there.
Really well done write up. Appreciate this more level approach. Everyone is fighting with their existential angst right now. Been meaning to write about it as well.
Great points about all of this!
A part that got me hung up a bit was the fact that they reserved PM'ing for senior only roles... how do people grow into that role?
It seems like more and more companies want some other org to grow PMs and then hire them when they are "ready" for the big leagues. I've seen this pattern with more PMs coming out of "big 4" consultancies once they are able to work in an office, etc.
This feels like a bad pattern that will lead with a lack of PM growth all around...
I see this as a natural compression pattern. When PM roles are more scarce, they will skew more senior due to the higher "per capita" leverage & scope these roles will have. It does imply that early career PMs are being developed elsewhere - which is likely an anti-pattern. I also see this pattern correcting itself over time as companies increasingly encounter the natural limitations of "fewer, more senior" PMs.
I agree with "Product Manager" being a senior only position, tho I prefer the title Product Lead or Product Researcher for a few reasons. For me the question of how someone grows into it is simple, from another career path. As a CPO this is how I've hired my product team.
In my experience there are generally two broad types of PMs;
Someone with specific domain knowledge, who you can then train in product research theory & practices. E.g. a former doctor working on a clinical app.
Someone with other experience in tech who can train up in the domain. Likely with senior IC experience in one or more of design, engineering, or research (data, UXR etc) roles
I wondered the same thing, it feels like it could hamper the—imo, positive—aspect of PMs coming from all sorts of backgrounds. It could contribute to conflating a PM with a full on management role that comes with seniority, rather than an IC path on its own.
It does raise an interesting question of how to balance Junior/Associate PM roles with having a broader responsibility on marketing and P&L. I feel today the seniority of PM roles is often focused on increasing the scope of the areas of product (e.g. owning a feature -> owning a product area -> owning the product), so it'd be interesting to explore how to match that in a scenario where being a PM encompasses the product development and marketing angle.
Love this commentary! Fantastic pragmatic take Melissa and John. Appreciate the effort in putting this together!
Thanks Melissa and John, totally agree with your comments.
Here are 4 key aspects I'd also have expected to be covered during the podcast:
- ABB introduced a Program Manager role: what are the specific activities and responsibilities for that new role, and how it inter-connects with Engineers and Pms? did it impact some of the direct work and rituals between PMs and Eng?
- Do they have any kind of Product operation function? (PMs are already stretched across discovery and delivery, adding PMM responsibilities on 2 major releases seems like a major addition..)
- They have both PM and PMM duties under a single PM role: beyond pure seniority, PMM taps into distinct skills and know-how, so how do they ensure their senior PMs perform well and consistently in those new duties?
- How does Product learn and validate assumptions, (live) prototypes in-between their Summer and Winter releases? any pool of guests & hosts to get both qualitiative or quantitative, usage feedbacks?
Love this!
The 'wartime' vs 'peacetime' angle, alongside the changes in the macro environment, were the questions that I wondered the most about.
It seemed that covid forcing them to go into emergency mode acted as a forcing function for reducing work in progress and prioritising their top bets (shifting to "three teams working on one thing" versus before "one team working on three things", which Brian mentions), which would also contribute to the feeling of a renewed sense of focus.
It’s useful to apply critical thinking and a temporal lens to this topic. Thanks John & Melissa!
To me, much of what the Airbnb changes boil down to an intent to return them to centering the customer in their decision-making.
- bringing a more external focus to the PM role
- consolidating around a unified roadmap for the company
- establishing a 30-40 person brain trust for efficient decisions
- breaking down Guest vs Host silos
- converging on biannual seasonal major releases
- empowering design more as a function
My hope is that more companies assess how they can ensure customers-centricity prevails, and realize that shifting to “tops-down” central command isn’t the only way to get there.