PMDojo

👀 Want to move up to senior product leadership and finally be seen as a strategic leader, here’s what needs to stop right now: Being the behind-the-scenes doer, working hard, hitting OKRs, and hoping someone will notice doesn’t work—especially for women. Women face unique challenges in product leadership, and leading with authority requires a different set of skills, strategies, and mindsets. Make yourself "un-ignorable" and take your seat at the table. Join 1,500+ women from top companies like Meta, Netflix, and LinkedIn who’ve fast-tracked their careers by mastering what it really takes to lead. Here’s what you’ll learn: ✔️ Tackle the toughest challenges women face leading product teams ✔️ Decode vague feedback and finally understand what’s holding you back ✔️ Get C-Suite buy-in and handle difficult personalities ✔️ Crush self-doubt and quiet your inner critic ✔️ Advocate for yourself and change the narrative ✔️ Become the go-to strategic leader in your organization ✔️ Identify what’s really blocking your growth and take action ✔️ Communicate with authority to executives ✔️ Elevate your visibility and make yourself un-ignorable ✔️ Lead with influence and master key product leadership skills ✔️ and so much more Limited spots for Fall 2024 are open! (1:1 and group formats available). Link in comments to learn more. P.S. Share this post to help more women step into product leadership and make a lasting impact. 👩⚕️ #womenleadership #productleadership #womeninproduct #productmanagement #careergrowth

Dear companies, please stop telling PMs that you want innovation within boundaries and without risks. *Spoiler alert: It doesn't work!* I'm hearing several stories about this and PMs are frustrated. I call this “masters of caution”. Risk aversion creeps in gradually and suddenly becomes cultural. It starts with small decisions—insisting on more data before making a decision, requiring extensive approval from multiple teams before launching an experiment, etc. These measures feel prudent at the moment. But over time, they harden into a culture where the default is to avoid uncertainty. I was once leading a product launch and we were tasked with pivoting the platform into an entirely new space that competitors hadn't touched. The upsides were high, but so were the downsides (like in any business). Despite strong market signals, our leadership shut down our ideas by saying, "Let's wait till we have more data." Eventually, our competitors bagged the opportunity before us. It hurt! Too much analysis led to paralysis. Most product teams are chained to this. Leadership keeps asking for more validation, more approvals, and more alignment. And before you know it, the moment has passed. ↳ The lesson I learned was that the most impactful teams understand that risk is a catalyst for discovery. If companies want true innovation, they should encourage their PMs to take bold, strategic bets—even if they’re uncomfortable. ---- 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #womeninproduct #productleadership #burnout #careeradvice

"Setting boundaries" does not prevent Product Manager burnout. Last week, a senior PM in my workshop broke down after missing her daughter's first school play. The reason? A "critical" stakeholder meeting that could have waited 24 hours. "Everyone says 'family first' until there's a P0 issue," she whispered, hands shaking. [Reality check: I've had to edit this post three times because of "urgent" Slack messages. We need to talk about this.] Here's what I have seen play out time and again: Everything we're told about preventing PM burnout is making it worse. Next Tuesday's newsletter will challenge the toxic advice we've all received. Plus 3 counterintuitive strategies that actually worked for me and hundreds of PMs we've supported in PMDojo - from startups to BigTech. Raw truth dropping 7:45am PST. Some "thought leaders" won't like it. P.S. What has helped you reduce burnout? Share your tip below! 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement  #womeninproduct  #productleadership  #burnout #careeradvice

You don't need to clear a MAANG interview loop to be a good PM. "I feel like a failure" - words from a PM who just got rejected from her 4th MAANG interview. She is NOT a failure. She had: - turned around a dying product in her previous company - built a team that would walk through walls for her - spotted opportunities everyone else missed - grew revenue growth from the product she led to $10M - brought clarity when her teams were lost No fancy logos on her resume (yet). MAANG and bigtech companies are incredible. But they don't have a monopoly on your excellence as a Product Manager. At least, not in this market anymore. This is what I've observed - your worth isn't measured by clearing an interview loop. It's measured by: - Do you lose sleep solving customer problems - Do you find opportunities in market gaps - Do you move business forward - Do you make the hard calls daily - Do you bring clarity to chaos - Do you create space for every voice - Does your teams fight to work with you As you think about your career, ask yourself these questions: 1/ Does company X's or team X's pace suit your life? 2/ What is going on in your personal life? Is this a fit with company X or team X? 3/ What kind of problems drive you towards obsession to solve? 4/ What kind of people fire you up? 5/ What kind of impact do you want to make in this season of your career? P.S. Choose work that feeds your soul, not your ego or someone's definition of success. That's what you control. 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement  #womeninproduct  #productleadership  #careergrowth  #careeradvice

Brilliant advice from Hanlin F. — "Don’t let AI distract you from the craft of product management." Many product managers think AI *needs* to be at the center of their ideas, but that defeats the purpose. The goal will always be to solve consumer problems. The best products are built by those who understand the user at a granular level and wield technology as an enabler, not as the star.  Your customer is the star. Technology needs to serve a need or a desire. Do you agree? ---- 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

Office politics is the sanitized term for an un-sanitized reality. We've all been there. - The silent undermining that makes you question yourself - That colleague who plays the game too well.  - The careful posturing. We vent about it. We stress about it. We lose sleep over it. Then Monday comes. We put on our game face. And the cycle continues. Want to know how bad it really is? I asked Product Managers to define office politics. Here’s what they said: ❌ “It’s like every win is on loan.” — Senior PM, Fortune 500 ❌ “There’s a constant need to watch your back” — VP. Product, mid-size tech ❌ “Success feels like a threat.” — Product Manager, well-funded startup ❌ “It’s like playing chess with people you can’t even see.” — Product Manager, Big Tech Today’s newsletter, I deep dive on this uncomfortable topic.  1. How to navigate this game without losing your soul 2. Three hard-won techniques that actually work 3. The landmines most PMs step on (so you don't have to) P.S. Have a real, unfiltered story? Is there a tip or lesson that’s helped you cope through office politics? 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement  #womeninproduct  #productleadership  #careergrowth #toxicworkplace

Break the corporate rules when needed as a people leader. 👊 Do this for your team members who consistently deliver results. Do this especially if they are a working mom or a working dad (they're often doing two full-time jobs). Why? Because your top talent needs to know YOU have their backs when it matters most. When my newborn needed emergency heart surgery, my managers broke every rule to support us. My husband's managers did the same. Those moments changed how I saw leadership forever. Company policies don't capture all the levers you can - and SHOULD - pull. And some battles are worth fighting more than others. I've done the same for my high-performing team members - creating gradual return-to-work plans after childbirth and redefining roles when life demanded it. Small accommodations that made huge differences. Don't accept "it's not in policy" or "it's not possible." As a leader, you have more leverage than you think. Here's what it takes: - Challenge the status quo (pick your battles wisely) - Escalate to senior levels (have your business case ready) - Get creative with solutions (think impact on retention and team morale) - Sometimes fight uncomfortable battles (that's why you're in the chair) Will it be messy? Yes. Will you face pushback? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? Every time. The hard truth: replacing a top performer costs 50-70% of their salary. The team impact? Priceless. Remember why you took that leadership role. It wasn't to follow rules. It was to build strong teams. That's the job. And sometimes that means breaking rules to do what's right. P.S. Tell me about a time your manager fought for you. What did it mean for your career? 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #workingparents #productleadership #womeninproduct #productmanagement #techcareers

Break the corporate rules when needed as a people leader. 👊 Do this for your team members who consistently deliver results. Do this especially if they are a working mom or a working dad (they're often doing two full-time jobs). Why? Because your top talent needs to know YOU have their backs when it matters most. When my newborn needed emergency heart surgery, my managers broke every rule to support us. My husband's managers did the same. Those moments changed how I saw leadership forever. Company policies don't capture all the levers you can - and SHOULD - pull. And some battles are worth fighting more than others. I've done the same for my high-performing team members - creating gradual return-to-work plans after childbirth and redefining roles when life demanded it. Small accommodations that made huge differences. Don't accept "it's not in policy" or "it's not possible." As a leader, you have more leverage than you think. Here's what it takes: - Challenge the status quo (pick your battles wisely) - Escalate to senior levels (have your business case ready) - Get creative with solutions (think impact on retention and team morale) - Sometimes fight uncomfortable battles (that's why you're in the chair) Will it be messy? Yes. Will you face pushback? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? Every time. The hard truth: replacing a top performer costs 50-70% of their salary. The team impact? Priceless. Remember why you took that leadership role. It wasn't to follow rules. It was to build strong teams. That's the job. And sometimes that means breaking rules to do what's right. P.S. Tell me about a time your manager fought for you. What did it mean for your career? 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #workingparents #productleadership #womeninproduct #productmanagement #techcareers

Don't try to break into product management right now. I know this hurts to hear. After years of helping thousands transition into product roles, this is the hardest advice I'm giving to people right now. Here's what I'm seeing in the market: Every PM role is Senior+ APM programs are vanishing. Maybe you're thinking: "I'll start at the bottom" "I'll take an APM role" "I'll prove myself". That entry-level door? It's not just closed. It's being bricked up. Here's the trap most are finding themselves in: Your experience makes you "too senior" for APM BUT not "product enough" for Senior PM. Plus you're competing against PMs in the market with years of direct experience. 2 fundamental truths I have observed over the years: 1. You don't need to become a PM to drive impact and be successful. You can do each of this in your current role. 2. Learning theory, frameworks and 101 PM skills will not help you transition into PM, nor help you move up in your career. So what do you do instead? 1. Lead strategically in your current role using product thinking (Product management isn't just about building apps). 2. Find companies that grow their people (They exist - I see our PMDojo members succeed this way). 3. Consider funded startups (They value potential over perfect PM pedigrees). Right now, don't pivot into product management, BUT pivot your strategy to strengthening your career. Grow in the margins. P.S. Want ideas on how to apply product principles in your current role? Drop your question below. I'll answer them. 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement  #womeninproduct  #productleadership  #careergrowth  #careeradvice

"I feel guilty for still wanting more." This confession came from a Director of Product last week. "Some days I'm on fire, ready to push for that VP role. Other days, I wonder if I should just be grateful for what I have. Being ambitious feels... complicated." Every woman product leader I talk to carries some version of this weight. As women we often downplay our wins. Carefully manage how "ambitious" you appear, especially if you're a mother. ("Will they think I'm not committed enough? Too committed?") That's why I'm hosting a hands on LIVE workshop on Nov 12th. It will be 90 minutes of real, raw, deep work that is cathartic and transformative for you. 💖 We you will get: - Identify invisible patterns that hold you back - A worksheet with proven tools that work  - Create a 2025 game plan that feels authentic, not exhausting - Connect with high ambitious women in product who get it, who see you Space is limited to keep this real and intimate. P.S. Drop a "❤️" if you've ever felt this tension between ambition and expectations.  [ 🔗 Grab your ticket - https://shorturl.at/XypdG tickets] Will I see you there? #womeninproduct #womenintech #productmanagement #productleadership #womensupportingwomen