Engineering leadership involves four distinct skills: Technical, Operations, Product, and Strategy. Since no single person excels at all four, organizations should build complementary leadership teams, pairing a visionary CTO with a process-driven VP of Engineering.

A product manager is ready for leadership not just by mastering their domain, but by demonstrating three key traits: understanding how all parts of the platform connect, being effective in customer-facing roles (sales, roadmap talks), and proactively building cross-team relationships.

As companies grow, collaboration and culture don't scale as quickly as headcount. To maintain product excellence, organizations need dedicated roles like Product Operations to act as "the product manager of the org itself," intentionally designing and improving ways of working.

For senior leaders, career moves should be curated around three pillars: the company culture and its authenticity ('People'), the product's innovation and market fit ('Product'), and the channel's potential for transformation and ecosystem expansion ('Partner').

When hiring for the C-suite, the importance of domain expertise varies by role. For Chief Product Officers, a deep passion and knowledge of the problem space is critical for setting vision. For engineering leaders (CTOs/VPs), specific domain experience is less important than relevant tech stack knowledge and transformation skills.

At the VP or C-level, a leader's primary role shifts from managing their function to driving overall business success. Their focus becomes more external—customers, market, revenue—and their success is measured by their end-to-end impact on the company, not just their team's performance.

To scale a high-performing product team, hire individuals who exhibit the same level of ownership and love for the product as the original founders. This means prioritizing a blend of deep curiosity, leadership potential, and an unwavering commitment to execution over a simple skills checklist.

Instead of seeking a specific PM archetype (e.g., innovator, maximizer), focus on hiring individuals who bring unique perspectives, skills, or backgrounds. This approach builds a more resilient and versatile product organization, even if the new hire's style differs from the manager's.

Apply product management skills like roadmapping and stakeholder management not just to a specific offering, but to the organization's strategy and the competitive landscape. This reframe leverages existing strengths for a wider, more strategic scope.