How do you go from a product marketing IC role to a leadership role?

It sounds like you're mastering your craft in PMM with multiple promotions & raises (congrats!), so I'll focus my answer on building your leadership muscle to help your leadership team view you as a candidate for people management.

• Career Conversations: Set up dedicated time with your manager (separate from recurring 1:1s) to talk about your aspirations & ask what's needed to get there. This transparency in your career goals empowers your manager to share feedback to help you get to the next level, either at your company or elsewhere.

• Mentorship: Start building managerial muscles by mentoring more junior PMMs and seeking projects to informally manage them (with their manager's blessing, of course). Even if you don't have the org structure, this gives you examples to speak to in interviews on your people management skills.

• Networking: Expand your network through industry and leadership events to build new skills you can test drive in your current role and meet PMM leaders who will help mentor and champion your career.

I made the jump from PMM IC to people manager almost 6 years ago and am continuing to leverage the above strategies to both expand my leadership skills & my team's professional development - so it's an ongoing journey! Hope this is helpful & wishing you luck in this next career chapter.

This is a really hard question as it varies from company to company, and your specific situation within that company. The short answer and what's worked for me is -

1. Be willing to do the things that others won't do

2. Prioritize execution over strategy

a combination of those two things will help to make yourself invaluable, and people will naturally start seeing you as a leader. Of course, there's more to it, like

1. you have to let your management team know that you want to be in a leadership role. don't be shy about it.

2. work on your executive presence

3. learn about the business all-up - what are other teams prioritizing and how can you slot yourself into those priorities (aka give yourself visibility)

4. actively consult feedback from peers and leaders

I'd also think more deeply about what leadership actually means to you. Does leadership mean you want to build and lead a large team where you act as the coach? Or does leadership mean you move up in title as an IC where you still have strong impact and influence?