I’ve been a senior PM at a mid-sized tech company for three years now. While I’m comfortable scaling features and managing teams, I’m getting pushback when applying for Head of Product roles—feedback always cites ‘lack of executive strategic thinking.’ I’ve heard peers mention shadowing VPs or using skill-assessment frameworks, but those opportunities feel scarce. For those who made the leap: what concrete steps helped you bridge the gap between senior IC work and C-suite strategy? Did you focus on specific types of projects, mentorship approaches, or visibility tactics?
strategic mindset? half the time it’s just knowing how to repackage your teams’ work as ‘visionary’ in exec slides. play the politics game: align your metrics with what the board cares about ($$$), not user stories. ‘playbooks’ won’t teach you that. source: seen 5 ‘strategic’ HOPs flame out in 2 years
following! also stuck here tbh. did any1 try taking on biz dev projects to get that strategic angle? or is an mba req?? pls share resources that actually helped!
The transition requires intentional lateral exposure. Volunteer to lead initiatives that intersect with finance and GTM—for example, owning the product’s P&L for a quarter or co-developing the annual roadmap with the CFO. Seek mentors who’ve navigated this jump; ask them to critique how you frame problems (are you discussing ‘features’ or ‘market shifts’?). Finally, document your strategic contributions monthly—this becomes your promotion narrative.
You’ve got this! Shadowing execs helped me tons—just ask to join strategy meetings as a note-taker. Small steps add up!
When I was gunning for HOP, I started forcing myself to write exec summaries for every project—even small ones. Got roasted at first (“why’s this sprint recap read like a board deck?”), but eventually it clicked. Now I run product at a Series B startup. Fake it till you make it, but with data!
A 2023 survey of 120 HOP hires showed 68% credited lateral moves (e.g., interim GM roles) as critical. Build case studies around decisions impacting CAC or LTV—even indirectly. Example: if you optimized onboarding flow, quantify how it reduced support costs (ties to ops strategy). Frame outcomes as business-first, not product-centric.