Aug 3, 2025 · 5 min read
The concept of a "career ladder" is a flawed metaphor for the journey to product leadership. It implies a single, linear path where each step is a simple progression from the last. My experience, from my first day as a PM to my current role as CPO, has shown that the reality is far more dynamic. A product career is not a climb; it is a series of transformations.
At each stage, the core definition of your job changes entirely. The skills that made you a successful individual contributor (IC) are not the same skills that will make you a great manager. And the skills of a manager are different still from those required in the C-suite. Understanding these distinct phases is the key to navigating a career in product with intention.
In the first phase, your role is that of a maker. As an individual contributor PM, your impact is direct and tangible. Your primary responsibility is to master the craft of building great products. This phase is defined by two core challenges.
Your Job is to Own the Problem: The most common mistake for an early-career PM is to jump directly to solutions. The real work is to fall in love with the problem. This means developing a deep, almost obsessive curiosity about your users. It requires separating the "problem space" from the "solution space" and having the discipline to stay in the problem space long enough to truly understand the underlying "why."
Your Job is to Build a Reputation for Excellence: As a maker, your currency is your track record. To get more opportunities, you must become known for being exceptional at something specific. Early in my career, I focused on becoming the person who could drive the most complex launches over the finish line with the leanest teams. This reputation for relentless execution opened doors. For others, it might be an unparalleled grasp of data, a deep intuition for user experience, or a unique ability to work with a challenging engineering team. Find your spike and become indispensable.
The transition from IC to manager is the most profound shift in a product leader's career. Your job is no longer to do the work; your job is to create leverage by making the entire team better. Your impact is no longer direct; it is multiplied through your team.
Your Job is to Create Leverage: As a "Multiplier," your focus shifts from executing tasks to setting strategy and developing people. This means providing your team with a clear, compelling vision of success and then getting out of their way. A manager's primary tool here is what I call "drawing the box." It is the art of defining the problem space for your team with the right level of constraint—not so narrow that it's a prescriptive list of features, but not so wide that it's an overwhelming, ambiguous mission.
Your Job is to Absorb Chaos: A great manager acts as a "shock absorber" for their team. They absorb the pressure, ambiguity, and chaos from the wider organization and translate it into a calm, focused environment for their team. They are the buffer that allows the makers to do their best work. If you find your energy drained by coaching and shielding your team, the management path may not be for you.
The final phase is the transition to a senior executive. At this stage, your focus expands beyond a single product line to the entire system that builds products. You are no longer just a Multiplier; you are an "Architect."
Your Job is to Design the Organization: As CPO, your primary product is the product team itself. Your work is about org design, process, and culture. Your strategy is manifested in the very structure of your organization. Are you structuring teams around user journeys, business outcomes, or technical platforms? Each choice has profound implications for what the company will be able to achieve. This is where you design the machine that builds the machine.
Your Job is to Navigate the C-Suite and the Board: At this level, your most important stakeholders are no longer just your direct team but your peers on the executive team, the CEO, and the board. Your success depends on your ability to build alliances, communicate a clear and compelling product strategy, and hold your ground on difficult, often unpopular, decisions. It requires the ability to disagree and commit, and to ensure the entire company remains aligned on a unified direction, even when the path is difficult. The CPO's role is to be a true partner to the CEO, often complementing their strengths and pulling them out of the weeds and into the strategic vision.
The journey from PM to CPO is not a straight line. Each phase requires a conscious letting go of the identity and skills that made you successful in the previous one. It demands a new definition of your role, a new understanding of your impact, and a new set of tools to succeed. The leaders who navigate these transformations successfully are the ones who understand that a career in product is not about climbing, but about evolving.