What am I taking with me from these two experiences?

I realized a lot about not simply product improvement, individuals, processes, and enterprise technique but additionally about myself! I learnt that I get pleasure from rising issues from 1 to 10 as a substitute of 0 to 1. I realized that I like collaborating with totally different roles throughout the group, that I’m actually good at bringing construction to chaos, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, constructing long-term product visions, technique, and roadmaps, and most apparently, selecting up issues/tasks nobody else is selecting! 🤷‍♀

I additionally realized that coming from a knowledge background, I get pleasure from information and ML optimization issues A LOT MORE than the frontend/UX aspect of product administration, that software program engineering improvement is SO totally different from information science/ML improvement, that DATA WINS over politics, that I like working in collaborative environments greater than aggressive environments, and that we’re STILL simply getting began within the Information Product period.

I’ve tapped into totally different communities and constructed a stronger community amongst individuals in Information/ML/AI, Product and a mixture of each — a few of which I preserve crossing paths on occasion over time! I’ve discovered unbelievable mentors and sponsors to maintain shifting me ahead. In return, I mentored many who needed to discover comparable profession trajectories.

I obtained an opportunity to place myself on the market first as a knowledge scientist after which as a product supervisor by way of panel discussions, convention talks, technical blogs, and workshops. I noticed my merchandise being launched and noticed their fair proportion of failures and successes.

I noticed many leaders throughout organizations, totally different seniority ranges, and totally different features and watched their management types in numerous conditions. Most significantly, I cherrypicked their finest abilities for me to duplicate — communication, strategic pondering, dealing with conflicts, change administration, coping with black swan occasions(aka Covid pandemic), course of effectivity, stakeholder administration, creating individuals, managing upwards, fostering collaboration, approaching issues with a newbie’s mindset, decision-making frameworks, proudly owning tasks, drawing boundaries and so forth.

I additionally realized how NOT to steer in some conditions, both by way of observations or by way of individuals’s suggestions on my working fashion. General, it was a very good expertise to discover and experiment to seek out my very own genuine management fashion!

On reflection, the most fulfilling a part of each roles for me was the individuals I labored with — they made it as enjoyable because it was — even by way of difficult instances, particularly by way of difficult instances! I knew then that no matter I do in my work needs to be centered round individuals — not the enterprise, not the product, however those that make it actual, each day. Certain, the product and enterprise could be there to convey downside statements to collaborate on, however so long as there’s collaboration with wonderful individuals — I discovered myself joyful and having enjoyable at work!