Day in the Life of a Senior Director of PM at Meta, Salesforce

Click to expand the mind map for a detailed view.

Key Takeaways

  • Quality vs. Speed: Quality and speed are not mutually exclusive; high-performing teams can achieve both.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Rigorous data-driven decision-making is a core skill expected at all levels in companies like Meta.
  • Customer Engagement: Deep customer engagement is crucial for product success, especially in B2B and enterprise environments.
  • Strategic vs. Executional Roles: Early-career PMs often focus on execution, but strategic thinking becomes critical as they advance.
  • AI in Product Writing: AI tools can enhance writing, but clarity and understanding of the problem are foundational.
  • Career Growth: Focus on impact and skill development rather than rushing promotions.
  • Leadership Styles: Effective product leaders combine accountability, autonomy, and transparency.
  • Horizontal vs. Vertical Teams: Horizontal teams should serve vertical teams scalably; otherwise, they risk dissolution.
  • Product Reviews: Product reviews should focus on decision-making, not just showcasing achievements.
  • AI’s Future Impact: AI will free up PMs from mundane tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic and infrastructure-related problems.

Detailed Summary

Introduction

  • Poorvi Shrivastav, a seasoned product leader, shares her experiences at Microsoft, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Meta.
  • The discussion covers her journey, key lessons, and insights into product management and leadership.

Microsoft Experience

  • Role: Started as a PM at Microsoft, focusing on executional tasks like bug tracking and feature delivery.
  • Culture: Emphasis on program management and execution, with less focus on strategy in early roles.
  • Key Learnings: Importance of documentation, punctuality, and asking for help.

Salesforce Experience

  • Role: Transitioned to a more strategic role at Salesforce, focusing on customer engagement and platform thinking.
  • Culture: Deep customer involvement and a focus on holistic business leadership.
  • Key Learnings: Importance of blending product development with customer insights and platform integration.

HubSpot Experience

  • Role: As a VP of Product, focused on product growth and simplicity in strategy.
  • Culture: Bias for speed and iteration, with a focus on unified platform experiences.
  • Key Learnings: Prioritization and sequencing are critical in fast-moving environments.

Meta Experience

  • Role: Senior Director of Product, responsible for a broad portfolio including data infrastructure and business platforms.
  • Culture: Rigorous data-driven decision-making and deep involvement in details at all levels.
  • Key Learnings: Importance of data-driven decisions and T-shaped leadership.

Product Leadership Insights

  • Leadership Principles: Accountability, autonomy, and transparency are key to effective leadership.
  • Team Structure: Horizontal teams should serve vertical teams effectively to avoid dissolution.
  • Performance Reviews: Focus on team members’ performance rather than personal optics.
  • Product Reviews: Executives should set clear expectations and focus on decision-making.

AI and Future Trends

  • AI Impact: AI will integrate into daily workflows, freeing up PMs for more strategic tasks.
  • Future of PM Roles: PMs will increasingly be held accountable for output metrics like revenue and adoption.

Career Advice

  • Getting Hired at Meta: Focus on structured thinking, scalability, and data-driven decision-making in interviews.
  • Career Growth: Prioritize skill development and impact over rapid promotions.

Conversational Insights

  1. “Quality and speed are not mutually exclusive; high-performing teams can achieve both.”
  2. “Data-driven decision-making is a core skill expected at all levels in companies like Meta.”
  3. “Deep customer engagement is crucial for product success, especially in B2B and enterprise environments.”
  4. “Early-career PMs often focus on execution, but strategic thinking becomes critical as they advance.”
  5. “AI tools can enhance writing, but clarity and understanding of the problem are foundational.”
  6. “Focus on impact and skill development rather than rushing promotions.”
  7. “Effective product leaders combine accountability, autonomy, and transparency.”
  8. “Horizontal teams should serve vertical teams scalably; otherwise, they risk dissolution.”
  9. “Product reviews should focus on decision-making, not just showcasing achievements.”
  10. “AI will free up PMs from mundane tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic and infrastructure-related problems.”

Software Tools

  • Jira: For ticket tracking and project management.
  • HPMS: For team communication and goal tracking.
  • OKRs: For setting and tracking objectives and key results.
  • ChatGPT: For AI-assisted writing and documentation.
  • Vanta: For automating compliance and security workflows.
  • Work OS: For adding enterprise features to SaaS apps.

People Mentioned

Speakers

  • Poorvi Shrivastav: Experienced product leader with roles at Microsoft, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Meta.

Other Individuals

  • Marty Kagan: Influential product management thought leader.
  • Brett Taylor: Former CPO at Salesforce, known for starting the associate product management program.

Companies Mentioned

  • Microsoft: Where Poorvi started her career, focusing on executional tasks.
  • Salesforce: Known for deep customer engagement and platform thinking.
  • HubSpot: Emphasized simplicity and speed in product development.
  • Meta: Rigorous data-driven decision-making and T-shaped leadership.
  • Vanta: A tool for automating compliance and security workflows.
  • Work OS: A platform for adding enterprise features to SaaS apps.

Related Posts