Product Path
Rise Above Company Size as a Product Manager
Startup vs. Big company approaches to product management
Working as a product manager in a startup is very different than working as a product manager at a Fortune 500 organization. I’ve done both.
One of the most difficult tasks for a small growing startup is to maintain the level of dedication and commitment that you receive from the early team. In the early days, your team does whatever it takes to get the job done and positional boundaries are not very stringent. When you reach a certain level of growth or size you’ll have no choice but to establish more defined roles or things will fall through the cracks. However, in order to keep your culture strong, you have to do it the right way.
My resume from the past few years lists product management as my profession but more importantly, the story I want to tell is that of a customer-focused problem solver. In today’s technology-focused world, the product manager is at the center of your organization’s universe (or they should be). Because product management works cross-functionally and has a mandate to lead without authority, product managers are uniquely positioned to instill a culture that ensures the customer comes first and your team must adapt to produce results.
An agile — flexible — mindset can move the needle. This is what I’ve seen, and broken down into tangible steps:
Big Org
Working as a product manager at a large organization typically results in a very specific set of responsibilities. The reality of most large companies is the existence of silos, even when communication is open and collaborative, the roles and responsibilities are defined and a common mindset bias is that the success of the individual or their team, not necessarily the success of the organization is what is most important. I’ve experienced this type of mentality first hand and it can truly limit the growth potential of both your product and your career, in addition to being all-around sufficiently frustrating.
Small Org
Working as a product manager at a startup typically results in no defined set of responsibilities but rather a goal or vision you must achieve. What happens at most places — and what I’ve certainly experienced — is that the product manager wears whatever hat is necessary for a given day. This level of responsibility and willingness to accept it really does depend on the person filling the role — some people are simply better at playing whac-a-mole. This lack of clarity or assignment of responsibility within a startup can result in overworking and single-threaded expertise that can also inhibit success.
Success
So what do you do to overcome these issues?
Hustle. Go above and beyond. Build processes, solve problems, and educate your cross-functional colleagues. The most successful product managers I’ve worked with stay flexible. You do whatever it takes to ensure the success of not just your product — but the organization as a whole.
When the time finally comes one method to assign roles is through the use of a responsibility assignment matrix, like RACI — which establishes these positions of accountability: responsible, accountable, consulted, informed. I’d recommend making this a collaborative effort with as much bottom-up influence as possible, give your team a say in their own destiny.
Relationships are key. I wrote a separate article about my critical product manager skills and it highlights the importance of internal and external relationships. You can check it out here:
Breaking It Down
Steps to take to help ensure success as a PM based on the size of your organization
Big Org
- Regular 1 on 1s with your team: Your fellow product managers. You’d be surprised how many large companies don’t encourage this regularly and how often individual teams are siloed…
- Know your customers: Break down silos and insist on meeting with your customers. Large organizations often have a request for an enhancement process that could fill your backlog in perpetuity but there is no substitute for meeting with customers.
- Build your process: Inevitably there is or needs to be numerous processes to ensure collaborative success within a large organization. I implore you to get involved and if the process doesn’t work then improve it, you are a PM after all.
Small Org
- Dedicate time to your work: Blocking off time on your calendar to ensure you have a chance to catch up, plan, or just collect your thoughts. Working in a fast-paced growing startup often results in being pulled in every direction.
- Regular 1 on 1s with key stakeholders: Your manager, skip-level manager, and cross-functional colleagues. If you’re wearing many hats, you need to understand and anticipate what will be expected of you.
- Hold Hands: As a PM at a startup, you’ll be the expert for your product. Educate your team any chance you get and help them Land and Expand. Building those relationships internally will pay dividends tenfold.
Finally…
4.Hustle. If you’re working in Product, you have to enjoy the chaos and the best way to get ahead is with a can-do attitude.
About Me
I work solving problems, driving operational excellence, and launching products. Along with being a DaaS focused Product Manager, I consult for organizations focused on maximizing value through product-focused growth and data value. Join the Buzz
