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

The dark truth about Product Management: We're all drowning. We just pretend we can swim. The gap between being a PM and stories we hear isn't just wide.  It's filled with tensions rarely discussed. There's this moment every Product Manager knows:  Replaying conversations. Second-guessing decisions.  Wondering if you're the only one struggling. If everyone else has it figured out. We're sold this perfect image: Autonomous teams. Data-driven decisions Clear strategy. Impactful execution Then reality hits: ❌ Someone else takes credit for your work ❌ Your roadmap gets rewritten by someone who hasn't talked to a customer ❌ Your planned quarter derails because an exec "had a brilliant idea" ❌ Your days disappear into meetings about meetings ❌ You are trying to do 2 people's job And you're wondering: "Is this normal? Is it just my company? Is it me?" We compress months of struggle into a neat 60-minute talk. Skip the weeks of politics for the 2-minute success story. Having worked at both "dream companies" and absolute nightmares, here's the unfiltered truth we need to talk about more: 1. The dysfunction is universal: There's politics and dysfunction everywhere. Some places are honest about it. Others hide it better behind PR. The real skill isn't avoiding dysfunction—it's learning to be effective within it. Present chaos is soul crushing while hindsight is always 20/20 2. The paradox nobody admits: The core is always messy: - Getting humans with competing egos and different incentives together - Build together for your customers + business - Build momentum despite organizational friction If it feels hard, you're probably doing it right. 3. The grass isn't always greener: Your current role might be draining your soul. But sometimes you trade visible dysfunction for hidden chaos. Because under pressure, we're all territorial creatures. We all protect our turf. 4. Exit strategy vs escape plan: Don't leave because of one bad quarter. Or one difficult stakeholder. Or one failed launch. Look for patterns:  Has the disrespect been consistent? Is the toxicity systemic? Have you tried everything in your power to change it? Then plan your exit. In this market, it might take 9-12 months. Don't let desperation force your hand. 5. The turnaround truth: Most situations can be turned around.  Not in the perfect, textbook way. But in the messy, real-world way.  Through small wins. Through rebuilt relationships. Through adjusted expectations. Your mindset matters more here. Because great Product Management isn't about having no problems. It's about choosing which problems are worth your life force. In your products. In your career. In your growth. P.S. Which hits harder?The perfect PM myth or the messy reality? it might help another PM feel less alone today. 💖 🙌 #productmanagement #careergrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

🎯 Confidence and clarity in leadership moments 🎯 Career growth in product management isn’t just about learning frameworks. It’s about transforming: How you show up, especially when the pressure is high and the questions you didn’t prepare for hit you. One of our amazing Product Leadership Edge members shared this yesterday with us. This isn’t just a win for her presentation—it’s a game-changer for her confidence and credibility in leadership rooms. 🙌 Why does this matter? Because without the skills and mindset to navigate these pivotal moments, the risk isn’t just career stagnation—it’s being overlooked for opportunities you deserve. At PMDojo Product Leadership Edge, we don’t just teach skills; we help you: 1️⃣ Develop actionable strategies for senior PM roles. 2️⃣ Learn strong product management skills for the next level 3️⃣ Build the meta-skills to read the room and communicate strategically. 4️⃣ Strengthen the mindset to thrive in those high-stakes, gray spaces where the answers aren’t obvious. This is the shift that transforms you from a doer to a recognized product manager and sets you up for career growth promotions. If this resonates, let’s connect. We'd love to share how Product Leadership Edge can help you step into your next big leadership moment with confidence. 🔗 [Link to program in the first comments] Let’s make 2025 the year you don’t just grow—you transform. 🙌 💖 #productmanagement #careergrowth #womeninproduct #productleadership

I told a Sr. PM that all the praise she was getting at work was actually a warning sign. ⚠️ She was shocked when it turned out to be true. 😳 (Here's how to know when praise can become a trap) She shared that she received glowing feedback: ↳"Exceptional with difficult stakeholders!" ↳"Detailed at documentation." She was excited BUT I was worried. Why? Because I've been where she was. Because praise doesn't equate to a promotion guarantee. 6 months later: • She's handling every escalation • She's missing strategic meetings • She was passed over for promotion Why? Because her strengths became her primary tasks. They became her ceiling. "Bosky, what should I do?" The answer is simple: ↳ You're great at your job. Time to get great at constantly pushing to solve new high-stakes problems. ↳ Seek feedback. Ask what excellence in your role looks like. Ask what else the company/team needs that you can fulfill. Ask what they expect from a role just above you to 2-steps above, and act like that. ↳ Don't try to be irreplaceable. Keep educating everyone around you, esp juniors on how you do things. ★ Next time you're praised, ask: "Am I being recognized? Or am I being typecast?" ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

🎉 Huge congratulations to Shreya Ghotankar on her promotion to Technical Product Manager! This one’s extra special—because success like this isn’t just about skills. It’s about navigating the messy in-between: stepping into motherhood, making tough trade-offs, and still chasing big career dreams. Shreya, you’ve shown what ambition and resilience look like, and we’re so proud of you! This is just the beginning—there’s so much more ahead. 🙌 At PMDojo, we believe that career growth isn’t just about learning skills—it’s about mindset shifts that empower you to thrive in both life and work. For women navigating their own ebbs and flows, Shreya’s story is a reminder: you can honor your ambitions and your priorities. To anyone feeling stuck or ready to take the next big step, know this: You don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re here to help you rise. 💖 P.S. Let’s celebrate Shreya and every woman making bold moves in their journey! #careergrowth #womenintech #productmanagement #womeninproduct

I had set unrealistic high standards for my team. It was silencing them and hurting my reputation as a leader. (Perfectionism was harming my career. Here's what I did👇🏻) Years ago, after an API review meeting, one of my reports said something that still rings in my ears, "Whenever I bring you early ideas, they get dissected for edge cases. So I wait until I have everything figured out." It took me some time to learn how perfectionism rewires how teams and orgs think: - Teams kill promising ideas before they reach leadership (great ideas down the drain) - Innovation arrives armored, not alive - "High standards" push people to show up polished, not authentic Leadership has a deep paradox: As you rise in leadership, esp in tech, your perfectionism is celebrated. Your polished presence in exec meetings becomes your brand. Psychological safety and ideas sparring take a backseat. 😔 I was unknowingly destroying an incredibly strong team. I adopted 4 words and it changed the game: "Let's figure it out." The change? ↳ The team wasn't driven by fear, but rather by excitement to build interesting stuff. ↳ The team felt comfortable because their leader had their back. Breakthroughs are messy. Not streamlined. Not efficient. Breakthroughs happen when there are no boundaries. ★ Your next step: In your next 3 meetings, catch yourself wanting perfection. Instead, say "This is messy, and that's exactly where breakthroughs start." ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

"I couldn't sleep. Being liked was killing my product career.” This confession from a senior PM came right after Claire Vo, CPO at LaunchDarkly, dropped this truth bomb: “You have to make the decision that you're okay not being liked, full stop. My job is not to be liked. My job is to drive performance.” The chat exploded with 200+ PMs sharing their stories in real time. From hundreds of conversations with Product Leaders in 2024, I chose the 10 most raw, honest discussions - from Airbnb to Instagram - that revealed what's really holding Product Managers back. In my most vulnerable year-end letter of 2024, I share what emerged when product leaders finally dropped their masks:  1️⃣ Why 64% of PMs feel trapped by the pressure to "know everything" 2️⃣ When Airbnb's Head of Product's gut was stronger than data 3️⃣ Why an Instagram leader chose to step down and how it led to a CPO role This isn't another "year in review." It's a wake-up call about what really drives success in 2025. P.S. Which of these truths hit closest to home? Share below - I'll reveal the exact pattern that helped 250+ product leaders break free.👇 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers in product leadership. #productmanagement #productleadership #womeninproduct #careergrowth #ai

I was advised to lie to get promoted. This is just one of the countless BS advice I've received in my 22+ years of product management. (thank god I didn't take any of them). Here's what people often tell you to do, but you shouldn't: 1. "Just take subtle credit for that launch. The PM who left won't mind.” 2. "Mention your name in that strategy doc. No one remembers who wrote it." 3. "Those user insights? Say that you led the research. The designer is too junior to speak up." 4. "That revenue impact? Round up the numbers. No one checks that deeply." 5. "Team's success? Tell execs you're mentoring them. Sounds better than supporting them them." After getting promoted up to Director of Product levels, I know what works: ✅ Build real skills needed with market shifts. ✅ Do your best work with the sole focus on moving the business forward ✅ Learn how to advocate yourself, without pulling others down ✅ Give credit where due — and it'll pay off and most of all, ✅ Learn the skill to ignore BS advice (especially those that sound too good in theory) Most people give toxic career advice by framing it as "everyone does it". Best not to take them. ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

I'm coaching a product team, and was asked an interesting question: "Bosky, how do we solve for an undefined market?" {Here's what I said and it blew their mind 🤯👇🏻} ↳ What is an undefined market? No reliable data and very few customer insights. What resonates with early adopters rarely applies broadly. Most decisions are assumption-based. ↳ What's the challenge? How do you realize which insights are truly scalable? ↳ What do most PMs miss? 1. Assuming that initial adoption is product-market fit. 2. Rushing to scale too quickly without spending time on collecting more meaningful and decision-supporting data. 3. Solving a niche problem for a bigger market, and wasting tons of resources. PMs often think their job is only to "make" decisions. But the real job is, defining how to make a decision, what factors to account for and what to ignore. ↳ The solution? ✅ Test if the problem is truly critical and widespread across multiple customer segments. ✅ Focus on the depth of user engagement, not just surface-level metrics like sign-ups or DAUs. ✅ Be ready to pivot quickly when your initial market assumptions prove incorrect and get leadership on board. ✅ In greenfield work, prioritize identifying the right problem over just executing ideas. ✅ Assess problem relevance across multiple customer segments. The team is now approaching this ambiguous problem with a new lens of research VS trying to make decisions fast. ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

I reframed my inner critic to become my biggest cheerleader. Here's how I used to talk to myself versus how I do now: Before: "I overthink everything." Now: "I map consequences while others collect credit." Before: "I'm always so emotionally invested." Now: "I expose business risks which others confuse as feelings." Before: "I need to be more aggressive." Now: "I need to hold my ground for the benefit of all." Before: "I'm not strategic enough. I'll never get promoted." Now: "I solve tomorrow's problems. I won't chase irrelevant metrics." This reframe isn't about making all inner bugs (weaknesses) feel like features (strengths). Instead, it's about using the inner critic's language as a GPS for deliberate skill growth. Stop trying to "fix" your internal monologue. Start treating it as your radar to identify the skills and mindsets needed to advance. ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership