Crossing the Canyon: From Product Manager to Product Leader with Substack: Empire of Narratives

Crossing the Canyon: From Product Manager to Product Leader with Substack: Empire of Narratives

In the world of product management, there is a hidden trap that many bright PMs fall into - the transition from Senior Product Manager to a Product Leader. This transition requires a completely different set of skills, including product strategy, and can be a career-stalling point if not approached correctly. It's important to understand that what made you successful as a senior product manager won't necessarily make you successful as a product leader. This transition requires making several key jumps and avoiding common traps.

To successfully navigate this transition, there are four key transitions that need to be made:

1. Depth in one type of product work to breadth across multiple types of product work.
2. Being good at your job to training others to be good at theirs.
3. Solving with the resources you have to solving by allocating resources and influencing others.
4. Gaining more personal scope to creating more scope for the organization.

Instead of focusing on titles, it's best to think about your role in terms of ownership, the scope of the product or solution, and influence. As a product leader, you need to have knowledge of all the different types of product problems and lead your team to work on the right ones at the right time without getting too caught up in the day-to-day work.

One of the challenges in transitioning to a product leader is the need to gain knowledge in areas where you may have less experience. This requires transitioning from an "I" shape to a "T" shape, where you have enough knowledge in your gaps to have a wider vision and maximize opportunities.

On the other hand, Substack is a platform that aims to revolutionize the media industry by providing a simple way for publishers to monetize their content through subscriptions. It is a network where publishers collaborate and help each other grow. Substack's goal is to be the best place to build a media business, regardless of the content type.

Substack's success lies in its ability to create an ecosystem where writers can collaborate and contribute to each other's growth. The platform provides tools for writers to publish, email their readers, and accept subscription payments. It is an ecosystem that fosters collaboration and partnerships, allowing writers to shape their readers' worldview.

As Substack continues to grow and attract more writers, its network becomes more robust and compelling. The platform's simplicity and economical pricing make it an attractive destination for writers and readers alike. Substack's revenue model is focused on subscriptions, as ads and subscriptions can conflict with each other.

In the future, Substack aims to expand beyond newsletters and become the best place to build a media business, regardless of content type. The platform could lower the barrier to creation with the help of AI, making it easier for writers to create compelling content. Substack's goal is to be at the forefront of cultural significance, shaping the way we consume and create content.

In conclusion, both transitioning from a product manager to a product leader and Substack's empire of narratives require a shift in mindset and approach. As a product leader, it's important to focus on the broader scope of product problems and influence others to solve them. Substack provides a platform for writers to collaborate and build their media businesses, ultimately shaping the cultural landscape of content creation.

Actionable Advice:

1. Embrace the transition from being good at your job to training others to be good at theirs. This will help you expand your scope and create opportunities for growth.
2. Seek knowledge in areas where you may have less experience. Transition from an "I" shape to a "T" shape by gaining enough knowledge in your gaps to have a wider vision and maximize opportunities.
3. Focus on creating an ecosystem where collaboration and partnership thrive. Whether you're a product leader or a writer on Substack, fostering collaboration and contributing to others' growth will lead to greater success.