M O V I N G O U T O F M I D D L E M A N A G E M E N T

A P R I M E R B Y @ T YA H M A

O V E R V I E WA G E N D A

1. Jobby-job v Startup 2. The board 3. Leadership 4. Developing your skill-sets 5. Tactics 6. LinkedIn reminders

S TA R T U P E X I T SH O B B Y- J O B S V S TA R T U P

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91%

FA I L

S U C C E E D

A C Q U I R E D

“How exits have changed in 2012” by Basil Peters

‣ Most startups fail. ‣ This deck isn’t about startups.

T H I S I S A B O U T J O B B Y- J O B SJ O B B Y- J O B V S TA R T U P

‣ This deck is about jobs at medium to large companies (75+ employees) ‣ I call these jobby-jobs.

G E T T I N G A D V I C EY O U R P E R S O N A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

Y E S , T H I S H A S T H R E E C O M P O N E N T S

‣ There are three types of people who can give you advice ‣ You need mentors, sponsors and advisors ‣ If you don’t have these three groups, you are at a

competitive disadvantage to your peers

Y O U R P E R S O N A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

Y O U

S P O N S O R

‣ Sponsors sit in your organization, but not in your direct reporting line ‣ They keep you in mind for other opportunities in the organization ‣ You want people thinking about opportunities for you even when

you are not in the room ‣ Your boss cannot be your sponsor. (There is a conflict of interest.)

1 . S P O N S O R S

2 . A D V I S O R SY O U R P E R S O N A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

‣ You speak to advisors as the need arises, and usually because they have specific domain expertise. It is irregularly-timed advice.

‣ They are not mentors ‣ Their advice tends to be not tailored to you, personally.

3 . M E N T O R SY O U R P E R S O N A L A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

‣ You meet with mentors, over coffee (but not like this, which is weird) ‣ You talk to them every month, for 1-2 hours ‣ They give you advice tailored to you, specifically ‣ You need two, so that you can triangulate your options/approaches

3 . T O O L S O F L E A D E R S H I PL E A D E R S H I P

‣ There are three main tools of leadership (they follow this slide) ‣ Leadership isn’t telling people what to do, but giving them a model

and framework for success ‣ It also involves truth-telling in palatable ways

1 . S E L F - A W A R E N E S SL E A D E R S H I P

G O O D A T B A S K E T B A L L , B A D A T H U M I L I T Y

‣ Self-awareness is knowing where you excel and where you fall short

‣ In the areas where you fall short, hire great people, or get better in that area, or do both

2 . A C T I N G W I T H I N T E G R I T YL E A D E R S H I P

‣ It is not enough to do and say the right thing ‣ You have do so consistently ‣ You have to behave in a manner that is ethical ‣ Leaders are usually beyond reproach (with small exceptions)

3 . S U C C E S S P L AT F O R M S F O R Y O U R T E A M

L E A D E R S H I P

‣ Leaders reverse the “do as I say!” paradigm to “how can I support your success?”

‣ There are three components to this paradigmatic reversal

A . C L E A R C O M M U N I C AT I O NL E A D E R S H I P : S U C C E S S P L A T F O R M S

‣ Your staff needs to know about goals, timelines and deadlines ‣ You should presume that when you first communicate this material,

it will be misunderstood ‣ So repeat it in different settings in a non-irritating way (this is hard)

B . P R I O R I T Y S E T T I N GL E A D E R S H I P : S U C C E S S P L A T F O R M S

‣ You can’t do everything ‣ Your staff can’t do everything ‣ Your company can’t do everything ‣ Set priorities and stick to them, using objective, clear-eyed criteria

C . T O O L S F O R S U C C E S SL E A D E R S H I P : S U C C E S S P L A T F O R M S

‣ This is beyond the right equipment ‣ Your team deserves the right inputs ‣ You can’t make pancakes without milk and eggs, for a poor analogy

P L O T T I N G Y O U R G R O W T HS K I L L S E T S

1976 2016

The Product Owner Role

Product Owners sit at the middle of three legs of a slightly unbalanced stool.

GM

Engineering

UX/Design Business

The General Manager runs the software product business. “Sports” is an example.

Builds the MVP, runs operations, maintains the existing product, and manages QA.

Business development, sales and marketing

The customer experience.

Product Lead

J O S H E L M A NC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

What follows are self-reported skill-sets from some of the top product people on the planet. Product people are cross-disciplinary. This provides insight into areas where you can improve.

PA R T N E R , V E N T U R E C A P I TA L

L I S A G E L O B T E RC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

L E A D E R , D I G I TA L E D U C A T I O N

M EC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

P R O D U C T- F O C U S E D C E O

L U K E K N O W L A N DC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

H E A D O F P R O D U C T

A N G I E H I C K M A NC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

H E A D O F P R O D U C T

F I V E F O L K SC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

Taken as a whole, the skill-sets have very different shapes. You can be less-than-exemplary in some fields and excel in others, but you should have competency in all of them.

Y O UC A S E S T U D Y

Design Engineering

Product

Business development

M A K E A P L A N .

N I N E H A B I T S O F S U C C E S S F U L P E O P L E

TA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

T H I S S E E M S P E D A N T I C , B U T I T M A T T E R S

1 . I N B O X Z E R OTA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ This is dysfunctional ‣ You can’t run your group

from a mobile device ‣ Put time in your calendar

for email catch up ‣ Unsubscribe from

newsletters and threads that aren’t valuable with extreme prejudice

2 . P U N C T U A L I T YTA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ Be on time ‣ Start meetings on time ‣ Respect other’s time

3 . O P T I M I S MTA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ Lucky Charms dude is very optimistic ‣ Optimism is infectious ‣ Most companies in the Valley have a

“no-jerks” rule ‣ Jerks sometimes win, but optimistic

people have better chances of doing so

4 . 1 : 1 S E A C H W E E KTA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ Each member of your staff deserves at least 30m with you each week

‣ Items to cover in your 1:1 ‣ Status updates ‣ Skill development ‣ Tactical and strategic

questions

5 . S TAT U S R E P O R T STA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ After the 1:1s, you can generate status reports ‣ Distribute them widely, even if no one else is doing so ‣ Sharing information is power, hoarding it shows weakness

6 . B E G R A C I O U STA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ “Thank you” notes and “your welcomes” will never go out of style

7 . TA K E R E S P O N S I B I L I T YTA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ If something goes wrong, communicate that behind closed doors ‣ Take responsibility for the shortcomings of your team and own their

mistakes. You have to help them to be better. ‣ Pass praise down to your team members.

8 . Q U A R T E R LY U P D AT E STA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

At least once a quarter, talk about . . . ‣ Missed

opportunities ‣ Feedback about

your performance as a leader

‣ Questions and feedback from your staff

9 . U S E O K R S T O M A N A G ETA C T I C S F O R M O V I N G U P

‣ Short for quarterly “Objectives and Key Results,” these are much more valuable than annual goals and five-year plans that are usually fiction

L I N K E D I N H Y G I E N E I N B O U N D

‣ Steps to make yourself attractive to your own hires and outside partners and agencies

1 . M I M I C Y O U R C V

L I N K E D I N H Y G I E N E

1. Make sure you have a photo

2. Customize your LinkedIn URL

3. Make sure your title reflects your job

4. Don’t connect with anyone you haven’t met in person or spoken to on the phone

5. Make sure that your summary is crisp

2 . G E T R E C O M M E N D AT I O N SL I N K E D I N H Y G I E N E

3 . W R I T E A N D P O S TL I N K E D I N H Y G I E N E

‣ Medium is best for this ‣ Write about your area of expertise ‣ Use your other social channels to amplify and respond

T H A N K Y O U , @ T YA H M AA P R I M E R B Y @ T YA H M A