From FAANG to Lead PM Coach at a Global Bank | Lynne Levy Coaching Review

So thank you for doing this call. So why don't you tell the folks listening, let's start at the beginning. So where were you when you first joined the program?

It's been quite a journey. I was at one of the top FAANG companies, right? And, um, um, I would say, you know, I had gotten to the point where I had really learned a lot from my role kind of, I felt like I was hitting a peak there and I really wanted to move to the next level. And for that, you know, I'd been a senior product manager for quite some time. So really, in order to get to the next level, it was important that, you know, I chose the right company, you know, from a culture standpoint. And I really chose the company, you know, whose values really aligned with my values. And I think You know, for that I really needed to do like a larger search. And you know, that's kind of where I was at, right? And I knew that I needed to build a bunch of skill sets in product management, which I need to improve further as well. So that's kind of where I was at. And I think from a personal perspective, I think I was spending way too much time working, which was affecting the other dimensions of my life, to be absolutely honest, right? And I wanted to change that because that was causing frustration, right, for me. So that's kind of where I was at.

And what made you decide to say, hell yes, I'm going to join?

I'm a guy who really is very intuitive. I really go by my intuition. There was a very strong draw towards you and the particular program in terms of what value you could be adding, not just to my life, but potentially what value I could add to other people's lives in this program as well, right? To be very honest, I loved specifically the quality of the material. In terms of things like, just very foundational things, but super important things like how exactly do you go about figuring out your brand? And I think that's like so crucial. And I think that's one of the most valuable things I found in your program. This whole aspect of self-reflection, your ability to go deep within, create that mirror board, and create that true, honest leadership brand of who I am, and sort of put that out there And I think that was so valuable. And I think that was like very, very unique personally. And it was like almost like, why hadn't I done this all along? Right? So for me, that was like one of the biggest draws. There were a whole bunch of things I realized further down the line as well. Like, you know, I think you had like a really nice network of people there who could like help each other and support each other with their experiences. Love the one-on-one coaching part with you and some of the other coaches there. And definitely all of the organizational psychology and organizational behavioral aspects of the program, including managing scars and then upleveling in your career. All of that, I think, really drew me to your program.

Excellent. So what were probably your top 1 or 2 takeaways, like the key learnings from it?

The number 1 thing is being honest to myself in terms of what my values are, what my core strengths are, which I think is extremely valuable to be crystal clear about. Right, right. And making sure that my, um, the role, whether it's in the same company or any other company, are absolutely aligned to both of these— my strengths and my values. And that should be crystal clear, right? Um, and I think with that, you know, pretty much any level of progress, whether in the same company or any other company, it becomes so much more easier. Um, and I think that's my biggest learning from here.

I mean, there's this whole alignment of who you are, what you want, the company you go, you go to, the values of that company. It's when they're in alignment that things get really fun.

Exactly. Absolutely. It's a big learning. It needs guts. I think that's my learning as well.

It can be scary. It could be scary putting yourself out there, but you did, right? You did.

Yeah.

So tell, tell folks who are listening, where are you now?

Yeah, right now I am a lead product management coach at one of the top banks in the world in the technology and operations division. And I think that's personally for me, number one, I think it's a company that's got values that's perfectly aligned to mine. I think the culture is very, very warm and welcoming, aligned to kind of the human being that I am. And I think I'm really excited about this role because I was looking forward to sharing all my learnings as a product manager and helping other people learn and develop. right, to live their fullest potential. So I think this is a role that's, um, just started right now, just begun that right now, but I think it's definitely going to help me realize, uh, my true potential, which is really about helping people achieve their highest potential using my technical and soft skills. So I'm very excited, very excited.

Brilliant. So talk to the folks about a little bit about the leadership side of the program.

How do you get out of situations which are potentially stressful in a room by really managing yourself very effectively in that situation? I think that's really, really powerful, right? And that sort of gives you the power that you need to be having rather than trying to be having, you know, rather than being like, or rather than thinking like a victim, you sort of think like the owner or the leader in that situation. I think they're like very, very fundamental, really important things. And there's something that I believe in is life is really determined by the ability to respond consciously. And I found that really connecting well with what you were talking about in the program. So leadership in particular, I feel you also talk about how you go about branding yourself, how you communicate what you're doing to the larger organization, definitely respectful and sort of a manner that can really help the larger organization while at the same time showing the skills and showing something and the contributions that you're providing to the organization. I think there were several aspects over here, and it's also about, I think I love the aspect of leadership styles, you know, the fact that different people have different leadership styles and how important it is that even when you're communicating, you communicate effectively with each of these leaders depending on the leadership style and communication style, right? So all of these things I think were truly valuable, and I don't think, you know, it's that easy to get some of these, especially in those group settings, everybody sharing their learnings. And their experiences, I think, gets very powerful and magnifies the learning.

So you brought up a really, really good point. A lot of people say, oh, Lynne, I don't know about group coaching. Help tell folks about the value of just being in a powerful group of awesome product managers and directors of products. What is the group experience like?

I think it's something that, you know, you would find a tremendous value in, specifically because there is— the way I look at it is just this, right? There is always a limitation to what one individual can provide in 30 minutes. And if you compare that with the value that can be magnified with all of the people in the group alongside that one individual who's like the leader or the facilitator, I think it really gets magnified. And I think this is the beauty which I saw in your program, right? Because everybody's got some experiences to share in the most appropriate moment, which kind of magnifies the learning and the context of the learning, which is extremely valuable because it needs to be application-oriented, right?

Absolutely. I mean, this is more than just theory. We're applying it every day to the real world of product. Thank you. This has been fabulous. I am so excited to watch you and your future and your growth. And the impact you're going to have on product managers and the world. So excited for you.

Thank you so much, Lynne. My absolute gratitude to you and the team and for everybody who supported this journey, and I look forward to contributing and learning in every way possible. Thank you so much.

You are so very welcome, and I look forward to chatting soon.