Coaching PMs for Growth
Unlock intrinsic motivation by asking PMs to create development plans that drive their own career goals.
When I worked at Rally Software, the CEO, Tim Miller, used to say, "People won't spend their whole careers here. Best case, we get them for a few years. So we'd better make sure that we're creating opportunities for people to pursue their own growth goals. Otherwise they'll go somewhere else where they can grow."
Context
A PM has been in their role for a while and is beginning for search for the next career step. Or, you have a high-potential PM who is excited about everything and not getting traction on their growth. Or, a disengaged PM who seems to be phoning it in.
Play
Help the PM to articulate a vision for their career and generate their own development plan.
- Invite for a 45-60 minute discussion about a week out
- Give the PM a template they can review and fill out in advance
- Interview them and see what answers they have at hand
- Meet again in 1-2 weeks to review and finalize
The questions
My current questions look something like this:
Where do you want to be in 5 years? What kind of job title? What kind of company? Where? Working with what kind of people?
In my experience, about one third of PMs will have an immediate answer, like, "I want to be a VP" or "I'll be running my own company." Another group hasn't thought much about this, is pleased to be asked, and will enjoy exploring this.
There is also a third group that does not want to think 5 years out. That's ok. There are all kinds of reasonable reasons - maybe they just had a baby, or their parents have had some health problems and they can't think long term. If you get strong resistance, don't push too hard on this.
Sometimes you will be surprised with the answer. Maybe strong PM who you feel has a lot of potential is aiming very very low over 5 years. This is a great time to tell them about the potential you see and watch how they react. You're not necessarily trying to change their vision inside of the first meeting, but rather open their eyes to their own potential.
What experiences do you need to have to qualify for that role?
The more self-confident PMs might already feel they are ready to be promoted up two levels - they'll identify 1-2 things when in reality they're missing quite a bit. After they generate their ideas, you have an opening to offer more: "In the director role, you'll also need to be out in front of large customers a lot more, and you'll need a track record of moving significant KPIs. Also you'll need to be taking a longer view with your roadmap: 12-18 months instead of just 2-3 months."