How do you retain good talent, especially when Product Marketing role are in such high demand across the industry

There’s definitely core management competencies you have to focus on that are true of any role which I won’t go into (e.g. developing your people, advocating for them and backing them up, etc.). But I think something we as product marketing leaders need to focus on is making the job exciting and fulfilling. Oftentimes at meetups or conferences — back when those were a thing — you’ll hear a lot of familiar questions: How do I influence the product roadmap? How do I get out of a reactive position ...Read More

That's an especially important question for PMM leaders today. There are a few key components to pay attention to: - Compensation - Work - Growth First is to ensure your people are being paid fairly. This means always keeping an eye on the market rate for people on your team and whether they are below, above, or in the middle range for the base pay. At larger companies, your HR team will be able to provide that, but at smaller companies and startups, you'll have to do some research using third-p ...Read More

Retaining good talent for high demand roles in a competitive market is, obviously, tough. But I think it's also easy to overthink it. Not to oversimplify, but two things I always try to keep in mind are: Continuously providing new opportunities: It's easy to get stuck in a rut if you feel you've been "assigned" to support a specific product or product area and all you do is manage launches and releases. There is so much more to the commercialization of product straetgy (which is how I would defi ...Read More

Let me ask you a question: What are the top 3 reasons people join, stay or leave companies? Answer... Company (culture, potential, growth) Job (fit, growth potential and salary) Manager (leadership qualities, chemistry, trust, etc.) The first is mostly not in your control. You are limited in what you can control on the second. This leaves you with the third, which is frankly the only thing you can control in its entirety. So my advice for you is to focus on what you can control and don’t worry a ...Read More

I think you have to remember that people typically stay with an organization when 5 things exist: A great culture that they believe in Sticky relationships with their peers Good pay & benefits They're appreciated and can see how they can grow their careers Good work/life balance Focusing on balancing those 5 things and keeping your finger on the pulse of them is key to retaining great talent. If one or more of these aren't addressed, it can be really challenging for your team to want to stay ...Read More

I focus on the fundamentals: 1. Opportunity - how does each person on the team have opportunity to grow? 2. Appreciation - so many ways to show appreciation, big and small 3. Prioritize the person - work is work, life is bigger. walk the walk on making it work for them to prioritize their life, whether that's encouraging a vacation when you suspect burnout, ensuring they feel safe to take time for family when / how needed, celebrating their milestones, understanding how life events impact them, ...Read More

The best way to retain talent is to create an environment where your PMM team is supported, trusted, and valued.  You do this by being a strong leader that adds value to the organization and is known for delivering results. People who are known for delivering often get bigger budgets (which means you can pay your people more) and get to expand their teams (which means you can create new opporunties for people in your organization). The best quote I ever read on leadership is from the co-founder ...Read More

Retention is a hard topic and I personally think a healthy amount of rotation across different companies and roles is critical to develop a robust PMM skillset, so I have that in mind when I think about the team's I've managed and how to provide them with what they need to feel motivated and continue to progress in their career. A couple of things I focus on: 1) Scope breadth and complexity - People want to continue to grow and feel they have incremental impact in their roles. I make sure I work ...Read More

“People don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers” is the adage a lot of folks toss around. I’m not dusting off any “World’s Best Boss” trophies on my mantle, but from feedback from my team, I know that they appreciate when I do the following: Celebrate wins. Acknowledge & mitigate losses. Discuss what was learned. Trust and empower to deliver a better outcome the next time. Give due credit for hard work done well. Help set priorities. Over-communicate, especially in terms of broade ...Read More

Challenge your team. Strong talent wants challenges in their work, so give it to them. Loop them into important conversations so they can think strategically. Challenge their decisions - not just for the sake of doing so, but to make sure every angle has been considered. Champion your team. You are your team's advocate. Socialize the work they do. Make sure their name is known by people who can act as mentors and promoters. Give them autonomy. You hired them for a reason; let them do their job. ...Read More

Retaining talent is one of those things that has no magic bullet. I believe keeping talent, begins with hiring the right talent in the first place. Obviously you need to be hiring for someone who aligns with your company culture, mission and is talented and make sure you pay them well, give them good benefits, have growth opportunities and all that... but someone else can cover off on hiring for culture.  For me, when hiring a team, I looked for people who not only met the ability to do the func ...Read More