Christopher Ming on showcasing your impact as a PM amidst shocking layoffs, going remote, and death to DMs

Product State Q&A

Christopher Ming is Principle Product Manager, Growth at Persefoni. He’s a former PM at Noom and Reforge.
Website / LinkedIn

EC: How should PMs keep track of, and showcase their impact?

CM: The tech layoffs caught a lot of employees off guard.

The volume. The marquis names affected.

But how they're happening is the most shocking.

People went to the office. Or they tried to sign in. Only to find they were locked out. Zero access to all the intellectual IP on hard drives, on the cloud, and buried across emails.

It didn't matter if you were there for 2 months or 12 years. They were all treated the same.

So remember — You have less control over your exit than you think.

When it comes to tracking and showcasing impact, start with the output in mind.

We know we should have some kind of ‘portfolio.’

A body of work. 

But what's the purpose of this body of work? 

What will the final output look like?

I believe there are two main outputs:

1/ Showcase for an interview

The next time you interview for a role, you need to demonstrate your skill and experience.

In the past, I didn't know how to do this in a meaningful way. Later in my career when I started interviewing for PM roles, my manager, Sara Caldwell, introduced me to the STAR method.

Which was a MAJOR unlock.

I don't feel strongly about using this particular framework. Use whatever works for you. It's the idea that matters: Have a narrative story structure you can rely on in interviews.

With the output in mind, you know the inputs you need to track. In the case of the STAR method, it's:

• Specific situation you encountered

• Task you need to solve

• Action you took

• Result you drove

You can collect these assets in any type of work: features, product releases, getting internal alignment, bug fixes, and experiments.

2/ Get 10x done in 1/2 the time

The way you achieve this output is by collecting reusable components. 

This is the intellectual IP you can adapt and use over and over again. Things like:

• Competitive analysis template

• Discovery interview questions

• Experimentation frameworks

• Investor update decks

• Quantitative models

• Job descriptions

• GTM checklists

Each time you build an asset, ask yourself: Will I use this again in the future?

If the answer is yes, save a copy in your personal files.

Do this in any non-work account (e.g. Gdocs, Notion, Notes).

Use the same hashtag or label across apps to label these achievements.

By having a library of reusable components, You'll streamline workflows. Get more done.

And save time.

The value of these components will compound over the life of your career.

EC: What’s key for PMs to be successful when transitioning to remote work?

CM: There are 3 keys for a PM to be successful transitioning to remote work:

1/ Keep a Maker's/Manager's Schedule

2/ Be the squeaky wheel

3/ Play traffic cop

Let's look at each:

1/ Keep a Maker's/Manager's Schedule

Crib directly from Paul Graham's classic take.

Separate the day between the work of a “maker"(studying the market, the product, writing PRDs, etc) and a "manager” (attending meetings, doing customer interviews, etc.)

Batch each set of work. Don't let them run interference against each other.

There are dozens of tactics to do this: calendar blocking, splitting AM/PM, no meeting days. The tactics all ladder back up to: keeping the Maker's/Manager's schedule.

2/ Be the squeaky wheel

Have an opinion on everything.

Your product? Have an opinion.

An adjacent surface area? Have an opinion.

Your persona? Opinion.

Most people think this pertains to critical feedback and being loud to get more resources.

That's only half the battle.

Here's a lesson my manager at Noom, Sneha Keshwani really stressed:

When good shit happens, that's when you get loud.

When things are going right... When you get the resources you need and they deliver... Shout from the rooftops!

Share credit generously and boldly.

3/ Play traffic cop

Always be clearing lines of communication. You want information flowing to the right places 24-7.

Death to DMs. Move everything to public channels. 

This applies to your pod and to the wider org.

Be the person who connects the dots between product and product marketing, sales, and the executive team.

EC: For someone in a non-PM role at a non-tech company… What steps can they take to move into tech product management?

CM: Go for it!

Tech is my third career transition. Approach this move strategically.

1/ Target non-technical roles to start 

A CS degree or a technical background can help you break into the PM role, but it's not necessary. 

I was a technical novice when I started. 

My friend and PM David Grotting showed me a Vlookup in Goole Sheets and I thought it was magic. 

Use roles like Customer Support, Product Specialists, User Research, Content Strategist, etc. to get your foot in the door.

2/ Find the company fit

Look for one of two things: 

(i) companies with defined programs that internally promote and move folks into product management (e.g. HubSpot). 

(ii) PM at a smaller company. These companies require more of a product manager generalist: you own the product, but also work on the marketing, product copy, and analysis.

3/ Know the product

Once you're in a company, learn the product upside down and inside out.

Dog food it.

Review user interviews or run your own.

In every room, own the Voice of the Customer.

“Death to DMs. Move everything to public channels.”

- Christopher Ming