3 Tips for Female Associate Product Managers
You have your dream job, now what?
Find a male sponsor to supercharge your career.
Lucy Sanders is the CEO of the National Center for Women & Information Technology. NCWIT has done extensive research on sponsorship and how it impacts pay, retention, and high profile assignments.
What’s the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? Read here.
“No one gets to any place of power without a sponsor, someone who spends political capital on you,” Sanders says. “We have this mistaken notion that women are great mentors for other women, and they might be — but they might not be. While female role models are important, women also benefit greatly from powerful male mentors.” [source]
In my career, I have had two male sponsors. These guys put WAY more money in my pocket, inspired me to take more risks, advocated for me to get the high profile projects and overall, helped me become a bad ass Product Manager.
How do you find a sponsor? Read here.
Work on products you believe in.
It takes a lot of energy to manage a product. You are the storyteller. You are the product’s champion.
If you don’t believe in the product, it will show and you will likely be miserable. If you are assigned to a product that you don’t believe in, make moves immediately.
Life is too short to work on sh*t you don’t believe in.
Present your own work.
If someone asks you to put together a presentation/slides on your work so that they can present to leadership… politely decline and offer another option.
Ask for a seat at the table. Present your own work.
If you are uncomfortable presenting because you don’t do it often, that’s normal. You will get better. Present your own work every time.
