How I Went From PM to VP Product - My Story

This is the promotion guide I wish I had when I started as a PM 16 years ago. PM → SPM → Manager → Director → VP. Most people treat it like a ladder. In this episode, we break it down like a map: the mindset shifts, skills, and momentum needed at every stage--straight from mine (Aakash) & Brad Schaefer's--VP of Product at Abrigo--journeys. ⏰ Timestamps: Trailer – 00:00 Intro to Brad & Abrigo – 01:25 How we Became PMs - 2:55 How to Grow from PM to Senior PM – 07:21 Aakash’s Journey from PM to Senior PM – 09:58 What Really Drives Promotions (Career Matrix) – 14:12 Ad (Linear) – 16:58 Ad (Amplitude) - 17:50 Deep Dive: Using the Career Matrix for Growth – 18:25 Moving from Senior PM to VP – 20:49 What It Takes to Get Promoted from IC to Manager – 26:51 This One Behavior Changes Everything (But Few PMs Do It) – 28:36 Ad (Attio) - 29:40 How to Be Seen as a Leader - 30:43 Brad’s Own Promotion Case to Manager – 34:47 Path from Manager to Director – 37:40 Aakash on Influencing a Company Without the Title – 38:48 What Helped Aakash & Brad Reach the VP Level – 48:47 Advice for PMs Who Want to Reach VP in Under 10 Years – 53:38 💼 Check out our sponsors: Linear: Plan and build products like the best - https://linear.app/partners/aakash Amplitude: Try their 2-minute assessment of your company’s digital maturity - https://bit.ly/4hl25RG Attio: The next generation CRM built natively for AI - http://www.attio.com/productgrowth 👀 Where to find Brad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradtschaefer Abrigo: https://www.abrigo.com 👨‍💻 Where to find Aakash: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aakashg0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakashg0/ Transcript: https://www.news.aakashg.com/p/complete-course-ai-product-management 🔑 Key Takeaways 1. Most PMs Plateau at Senior Because They Don’t Realize They’re in the Canyon You're doing great work, delivering solid features… but you're not seen as strategic. You're not on the radar for leadership. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. And the fix isn't more tickets, it’s more visibility and cross-functional leadership. Ravi Mehta calls it the “Product Leader Canyon.” If you want to escape from it, you’ve got to own more than features, own outcomes.And build a presence beyond your squad. 2. The Best Way To Get Promotions No one’s going to tap you on the shoulder and say “you’re ready for more.” The best PMs start acting like they’re at the next level before they get the title. And it reminded me exactly of what Ethan Evans (Ethan's episode: https://youtu.be/z95pArx8M_c) calls The Magic Loop: Nail your current job → Volunteer for a harder one → Prove you think like a leader → Then do it again. Remember, you don’t earn the next level by doing your job. You earn it by doing the job you want, before anyone’s even sure you’re ready. 3. Every Organization Should Use This Matrix! Brad uses a tool I wish I had earlier in my career: a Career Matrix. It breaks the PM role into skills, levels, and observable behaviors. It’s how you turn a vague “you’re not ready yet” into an actionable plan. If you’ve ever felt stuck and didn’t know why, you need one of these. It helps you and your manager see the same picture, clearly. 4. If You’ve This, Getting VP Role Becomes Easier This is what Brad nailed. At the VP level, character and reputation matter more than raw output. Are you the one execs call when things get messy? Are you the person other PMs look to for clarity? If not, sorry to say but you’re not ready for VP role. This is true for me as well: I got promoted when I started acting like a founder inside my team, not when I started asking for one. 5. The Fastest Way to Get unstuck? Make Your Manager’s Job Easier. Seriously. Want to get noticed? Start taking things off your manager’s plate. Lead cross-team initiatives. Handle the chaos before it lands on their desk. I’ve promoted people for this exact reason without even them asking for it. Because they earned it before I even realized they needed the title. #promotion #productmanagement 🧠 About Product Growth: The world's largest podcast focused solely on product + growth, with over 167K listeners. Hosted by Aakash Gupta, who spent 16 years in PM, rising to VP of product, this 2x/ week show covers product and growth topics in depth. 🔔 Subscribe and like the video to support our content! And turn on the bell for notifications.