AMA: Gusto Head of Product for Mid-Market Businesses, Louisa Henry on Developing Your Product Management Career

If you’re already working somewhere with a PM org, try to move into it. Getting a role at a new company as a first time PM is difficult. Most hiring managers want to see some product experience before making a hire. A lateral move within your company may not be as difficult as it seems. See if you can pick up a side project or do a 3-6 month rotation. Getting the experience will not only help you be considered & help you interview for external PM roles, but will also give you data points to ...Read More

If you’re looking to grow from a Senior PM to a Group PM or Director, begin to look more broadly across the business vs focusing solely on your specific product area. It’s important to deeply understand the business levers that outcomes that the company is aiming to achieve. Once you start to understand the business at the level, you’ll be able to connect dots and identify opportunities to drive impact at a larger scale. If you don’t have the opportunity to shift the type of product you’re worki ...Read More

This is a framework shared by one of my former executive colleagues. I've found it to be incredibly helpful when thinking through your career, taking on a new project, or considering your next move.  Biggest suggestion is to get it on paper. Thinking about your career can be a lot like building product. Write lists of what you do and don't know. What you're confident about, what you're not sure about. After completing your do know/don’t know list, consider actions you can take to move your “don’ ...Read More

PM is one of those unique roles that gives you so much exposure to many sides of the business. You could aim to move into almost any executive role with enough experience. For example, if you're interested in sales, revenue, and marketing, you could align yourself to growth related products. You'll learn more about the business levers and operating dynamics. Start learning more about the teams, skillset, type of work. Learn more about the leaders, their priorities, their challenges. Volunteer to ...Read More

I'm interpreting this question as "what metrics do you use to justify a promotion." Ideally you're working at a company with pay equity (eliminating sex and race discrimination in the wage-setting system). If your company has performance axes, I’d start there. Understand what it means to be exceeding expectations at your current level, and what the gaps are between you and the next level. If you’re not sure, ask your manager. More than likely, they’ll be happy to have a career discussion with yo ...Read More