Measuring Performance: Building The Framework

Uber fmr Product Lead on Measuring PM Performance (Part 2)

Now that you’re familiar with the motivation for creating a performance framework for product managers, let’s dive into its core principles. As I experienced at Uber, there’s a ton of value in having clarity about what is expected of you by senior management. Most importantly, this framework provides product managers with a path to continuously improve and progress toward future promotions.

First, it’s important to think about every step in your PM journey as a fresh start.

In other words, there’s every opportunity to reset your focus and priorities. For example, new responsibilities or teammates will enable you to have a new take on the definition of success. As a result, this is a perfect time to ensure that you have clear guidance on your manager’s expectations. Most importantly, you will have a firm understanding of what success means in relation to your performance.

After your fresh start, it’s time to go through the “orient” phase.

Said differently, this is where you dive deep into the definition of what success means for you and your organization. The final two steps in the framework are “execution” (how you accomplish your goals) and “assess” (metrics for how you are performing).

I’d like to explore the “orient” phase in more detail. Outside of defining success, this is also an opportunity for you to identify a skill or attribute that is unique to you. In other words, we all have a “superpower” – and it’s important for all of us to evaluate how each of us can make the most profound impact. To give you some inspiration, here are examples of superpowers from people that you might know…

Steve Jobs

• Think different, persuasive, visionary, great marketer.

Jeff Bezos

• See things ahead of time, focus on long-term strategy, customer obsession.

Meg Whitman

• General manager (scaled eBay to 30,000 employees), goal-setter.

Click here for Part 1

Click here for Part 3