Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators
Chad McAllister, PhD
300 episodes
1 week ago
Welcome to Product Mastery Now, where you learn the 7 knowledge areas for product mastery. We teach the product management practices that elevate your influence and create products your customers love as you move toward product mastery. To learn about all seven areas and assess your strengths in product mastery, go to my website -- https://productmasterynow.com -- and click the Podcast button at the top of the page. Hosted by Chad McAllister, product management professor and practitioner.
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Welcome to Product Mastery Now, where you learn the 7 knowledge areas for product mastery. We teach the product management practices that elevate your influence and create products your customers love as you move toward product mastery. To learn about all seven areas and assess your strengths in product mastery, go to my website -- https://productmasterynow.com -- and click the Podcast button at the top of the page. Hosted by Chad McAllister, product management professor and practitioner.
554: Move from product manager to product leader without the wobbles – with Piers Fallowfield-Cooper
Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators
21 minutes 41 seconds
2 months ago
554: Move from product manager to product leader without the wobbles – with Piers Fallowfield-Cooper
The biggest challenges when moving from individual contributor to product VP
Watch on YouTube
TLDR
In this episode, I welcome Piers Fallowfield Cooper—executive coach and author of Are You Still the Future?—to explore one of the most critical career transitions in product management: moving from individual contributor to product leader. We discuss why success as a product manager doesn’t guarantee success in leadership, the mindset and skills required to thrive as a product VP, the importance of personal strengths and adaptability, and practical advice for building a successful, energized team.
Introduction
Let me paint a picture of a common occurrence. Product VPs and leaders start out as individual contributors, i.e., product managers. Because of their outstanding work, delivering value for the organization and delighting customers, the product manager’s responsibilities and influence quickly increases, resulting in a promotion to Product VP. Sounds great, right? Maybe not—a couple months after the promotion they are struggling and their teams are frustrated. If you were that newly promoted VP, you would be wondering if you made a terrible mistake.
Let’s turn that around. This discussion will help to equip you for the most critical transition in product management careers—the leap from individual contributor to product leader. This isn’t just about getting promoted; it’s about fundamentally shifting how you think, act, and add value. And, if you are already a product leader, this discussion will also help you improve and how you mentor your ICs.
Our guest is Piers Fallowfield-Cooper, who has coached over 130 C-suite executives through major leadership transitions. He’s spent 30 years in senior executive roles himself scaling companies across finance, technology, and e-publishing. His book Are You Still The Future? was a Business Book of the Year finalist in 2024. He knows how to effectively navigate the journey from individual contributor to executive leader.
Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers
The Challenge of the Transition:Many product VPs begin as outstanding product managers, but leadership requires a shift from “I” to “we.” The skills and knowledge that led to promotion often don’t translate to success at the next level—leadership is less about specific expertise and more about asking the right questions, fostering a broader perspective, and leading through others.
T-Shaped Leadership:Piers explains the necessity of moving from being a deep specialist to developing broad horizontal skills—an essential shift in most careers, including product management.
Find Your Sweet Spot:Ambition doesn’t always mean you want or would be happier in a leadership role. Ask yourself why you want to get promoted and consider what trade-offs come with increased responsibility.
Key Shifts for Aspiring Leaders:
* The move from “doing” to “thinking and leading.”
* Creating regular thinking time with diverse stimuli.
* Observing and reflecting on effective leadership styles, then building a personal leadership approach authentic to you.
* Focusing on helping the team succeed, rather than being everyone’s friend.
Strengths, Energy & Environment:
* Use tools like Strengths Finder to identify what energizes you, not just what you’re competent at.
* Play to your energizing strengths, focus on what the business needs,
Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators
Welcome to Product Mastery Now, where you learn the 7 knowledge areas for product mastery. We teach the product management practices that elevate your influence and create products your customers love as you move toward product mastery. To learn about all seven areas and assess your strengths in product mastery, go to my website -- https://productmasterynow.com -- and click the Podcast button at the top of the page. Hosted by Chad McAllister, product management professor and practitioner.
