From Burned Out to First PM Reporting to CEO | Lynne Levy Coaching Review

Hey Gina, how are you? I'm good. How are you?

I'm good. Thanks for doing this recording.

Of course, anything for you.

So thank you. Let's talk about— so you've done amazing things. Walk us through where you were really before you joined the program.

Yeah. So I was at a company and had just launched new product. And that was March of last year. And then there was a huge executive change. And then there was a lot of uncertainty about where to go with my product. And just, you know, with it, even though I felt very strong about the outcome of like putting that project to rest and like moving on and reallocating resources elsewhere, it was just really damaging for my confidence about like how to talk about that in interviews. And there's also, you know, in addition to just change within the product I was owning, there's also just a lot of toxicity in the work environment I was in, both from a lack of care around change management with the new executive team about the process they want to roll out, and also a lack of care from our own direct leadership to acknowledge that things are changing, things aren't clear, we're trying to work through that, and also just addressing some core issues. And so especially as a product manager, your livelihood is like your ability to go be autonomous and make decisions. And it just felt so restricting. And so I was, when I came to you, Lynne Levy, it was at a point where I just was really low, low confident, unsure about where I was going to go next and really just feeling a little stuck.

Yeah, no, absolutely. So what made you decide to say, yeah, I'm going to invest in myself?

I'm someone who usually is like, I can find my own resources, I am really resourceful, I can go figure it out. But I also was just really lost, right? So it's like one thing to just go apply and just figure out what's next, but I had no idea what I wanted. I was like, I think the emotions of dealing with this environment made it so hard to look forward and what was out there. You know, this was also during COVID so the job market was tight. And so it just felt like there was so many pieces that wasn't as linear as another typical transition would be. And so, you know, I, I really liked that there was a cohort model, like there was people who were similarly in a situation with me. Um, there was a I think at first when we did leadership stuff, it helps in crafting that story. Also, just what's important to you as a product manager and a product leader. And so I felt that it was a much more 360-degree view of what it means to be in product leadership versus just, I need to go get a new job, what do I do to do that?

Right. So what were, I don't know, let's say your top 2 takeaways that you're walking away from the program with?

The first one would just be, well, the first one is something that I actually talked about in a job interview, which was that product managers are not commoditized. So they each have their own value prop. They each have their own perspective. And so that was something that for me, when I went into job interviews and just also how I think about myself in the market and what I bring to a company, realizing that I have a very specific set of experiences and skills that make me different from any other product manager. It affects how I think and the value I bring to a company. And so realizing that then versus feeling like I need to go meet these checklists on a JD, uh, really helped in being like, okay, no, like, I have a lot to offer. Um, and if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit, but I'll go find that better— like that, you know, that shoe that fits in another job. Right.

Finding a job is like a date. It has to work on both sides.

Exactly. And, and that was a big thing too, where it was like When I think about, you know, one, my own unique value prop, but also two, like, what are the signals I'm trying to get from a company culture I'm going to go look for? That was also a good thing too, which is like, okay, you know, I don't need to go find another toxic environment. I need to go find something that has this, has the values that match with my own values. Right. And I think the program also helped me craft what is my own set of core values. And then how do I find a company that matches that appropriately?

Excellent.

Excellent.

So tell, tell us, where are you now?

Yeah. So I am going to be starting in 2 weeks. Yes. At a startup that, and I'll be their first product manager hire and I'm reported directly to the CEO.

How excited are you?

I'm really excited. It's like one thing that I've been thinking a lot about. So the previous company I was at was like a few hundred people and the company I'm going to now is, is 30 people, so much different size, much more early stage. And I thought I had— I'd gone back and forth about if I wanted to go to a large company because of stability, or if I was more of a startup person. And then I realized that I was only thinking about big companies because I wanted that stability and safety because of everything I'd gone through with my current company. But the new company I'm going to, it's a startup. Startup, people are very passionate about the mission. Like they actually know what the mission is. They actually have this vision about what they want the company to be. They were very— I went through a lot of rounds. They want to make sure I was a good fit. And so it feels like even as a startup, it's kind of riskier. It's like I actually feel more energized by the amount of work and understanding the difference between like good stress, which is a little bit of overwhelm, but like you'll see the end of it versus bad stress of just dynamics and emotions and anxiety. Yeah, you just get triggered by people versus like doing good work.

So speaking of triggers, what was really the primary leadership tool that you want to take forward into this next job?

I have stumbled upon SCARF, which is like the— what does it stand for? It's like Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness, I think.

Excellent.

Yes, I get 10 points. Yes, check. Yeah. And, you know, I think it's helpful to kind of understand what drives people. So that was a helpful one. I think communication styles.

Absolutely.

What am I trying to exude as a leader and what I'm trying to show? And so I think those are kind of some of my large takeaways.

Awesome. So if you were to bump into somebody at the airport and they say, oh my gosh, I've heard about this Inspired Product Leader program. Tell me, what do you— would you recommend it? What would you say to them if they had questions?

Yeah. So one, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Thank you. Yes. Hi NPS and hi CSAT from me. There we go. Um, and you know, I think for product managers and product leaders who are struggling with an environment that's not really enabling them to grow and bloom and show the best version of themselves, it was super helpful to just get a group back in terms of, okay, like, this is the things I've done. I am proud of them. I will bring that with me. I will exude like who I am in an interview. And that was super helpful. And to learn from other people was really nice and to feel that, okay, this is a really supportive environment that's helping you through job transitions or how to break through that promotion ceiling and just kind of working through those things. And so that It was so nice to be around a group of people. It was so nice to have a 360-degree view of product leadership and also better tools around the job search from a technical perspective, but also just everyone's going through these kinds of changes and difficulties. And it was just such a supportive, really nurturing environment to, to be part of.

So awesome. I'm so excited as you go forward. I'm so excited to see you leveling up, head of product, driving product strategy. Amazing.

Yes, I'm amazing.

Thank you, rock star. Thank you, Gina.

Thank you, Lynne Levy Levy Levy.

Talk to you later.