I’ve been a PM for 7 years and keep hitting this ceiling - everyone says we’re ‘CEO of the product,’ but what comes next? I’ve heard some tools claim to map skills to exec roles like CPO, but skeptical about automated recommendations. How did others here identify their leadership path? Did anyone discover unexpected transitions that actually worked?
c-suite from pm? puh-lease. another week, another magic career tool. u think some algo knows better than your own gut? i chased a cpo title for years before realizing half those roles are glorified babysitters. focus on who’s offering stock options, not buzzwords.
wait theres ai tools for this?? im only 2 yrs in but already stressed about getting stuck. any1 tried those career path analyzers? do they actually look at ur linkedin or just spit generic advice?
The transition requires intentional skill audit. While tools can surface patterns, prioritize three elements: 1) Track projects where you influenced cross-functional budgeting (CPO signal), 2) Quantify customer impact beyond features (CMO adjacent), 3) Document board-level communications. I mentored a PM who realized her strength was operational scaling - shifted to COO track successfully.
You’ve got this!! The fact you’re thinking ahead means you’re already leadership material 
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2023 PM Career Survey showed 28% of CPOs had >8yrs PM experience first. Key differentiators: Stakeholder management (82% cited critical), P&L ownership (76%), and ecosystem strategy experience (63%). Tools can gap analysis, but correlate your achievements against these benchmarks first.