When it comes to product management, few if any can compare to Ronke Majekodunmi. While gaining insight on the wants and needs from consumers and applying her mastery of soft skills, the former senior product manager of PayPal ensured her esteemed brand remained consistent in breaking new ground and thrived on the cutting edge of the tech/finance sector.
What are some of the responsibilities of being a senior product manager for a large company?
For many years, I have been a noteworthy leader and powerhouse in product management. I have dedicated my career to creating outstanding, world-class products and investing my time to educate the next generation of product leaders. My mission is to make the world of product management more accessible for diverse product makers entering the field – providing insights and authentic experiences for the next generation to draw from. In my former role as Senior Product Manager at PayPal, I was responsible for collaborating with global stakeholders, leading the strategy and development of new products while supporting the career development of the product management teams. At PayPal, I was a recognized mentor that leads with charisma to bring cross-functional and innovative products to life. In my previous positions, I partnered closely with key members in various industries to develop the entire life cycle of products, envision and define product vision, and achieve optimal performance levels.
I have always been passionate about sharing my wisdom and experience with beginner product managers. Partnering with Product School, I have the unique opportunity to contribute to a community of over one million product professionals, sharing my industry insights to help shape their effectiveness and leadership. At Product School, I host webinars teaching the importance of leading with empathy, and gratitude and utilizing soft skills, interpersonal characteristics, and building coalitions. I also host Product Management Certification courses, where I guide product managers joining the space. In addition to my various teaching opportunities, I regularly volunteer my time at the University of Washington’s Product Management Center. There, I engage with and offer insights and guidance to empower product management students from historically marginalized communities.
In addition, I actively use my website and podcast to engage with fellow product managers and provide valuable content that helps expand their careers and create clarity from ambiguity. You can read more on www.ronkepm.com or tune into my podcast “Product Magic” on your favorite listening platform!
Why is educating the next generation of product leaders so dear to your heart?
Diversity and inclusion are a conscious requisite and the discerning action that organizations, leaders, and employees must partake in to build influential people and products. Product leaders have the privilege and responsibility of shaping the products that our communities will use for years to come. Without diversity in our viewpoints and the inclusion of those different from us, our products would not have the same reach they would if they were created with everybody in mind. Diversity and inclusion are essential within the product management space because our cross-functional teams are made better by them. We can only build efficacious, best-in-class products with individuals from unique cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs.
A diverse product management team powers imagination, ingenuity, and creativity. It provides organizations with a competitive edge. In addition, when cross-disciplinary teams include individuals from unique ethnicities with different interpretations and experiences, we strengthen our propensity to comprehend the requirements of our current customers, leads, or prospects. When product exploration encompasses a wide range of thinking, the product can be built into something everyone can use regardless of race, ethnicity, and circumstances. So, if we create products that work for everyone, we can increase our customer base, allowing our organization’s revenue to grow. Diversity is essential to build best-in-class products.
Women only hold 35% of product manager jobs, even less women of color. Describe the benefits of a fairer percentage to the industry.
Diversity enhances innovation. Diversity management has never been more paramount. We still need to foster more inclusion of employees from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives into organizations’ structure to operate effectively in the real world, meeting the demands of emerging markets. Therefore, organizations must cultivate their diversity management approaches to acculturate to the expanding diversity of the workforce globally.
As demographics change, diversity becomes necessary to grow into new markets, retain employees, and recruit new candidates. High-performing candidates and emerging leaders want to see themselves reflected at every level of their organization. Not only does it influence individual and company performance, but employees are more likely to stay and grow their careers in companies where they can relate to their coaches and mentors. Seeing someone who looks like you in leadership has profound psychological effects on employees, allowing them to see who they can become in the future.
Diverse representation in leadership unlocks the variability of new viewpoints and experiences, which helps companies flourish by increasing innovation and earnings. A more diverse and inclusive leadership team can even establish an organization’s character, culture, and what it reflects (such as equality, diversity, and inclusion). These things go a long way to attract and retain talent, making a diverse organization appealing to inclusion-focused customers.
A lot of people undervalue the importance of having “soft skills”. How would you define them?
Soft skills are essential for Product Managers to motivate partners and teams to exceed expectations.
These skills have not only helped me become a recognized mentor but also effectively lead my teams to develop innovative product for enterprises looking to manage and scale their business.
I am here today as a resource, ready to inspire the next generation of Product Managers. Partnering with Product School as a Featured Speaker, I share pivotal experiences and insights to mold new Product Managers entering the field into natural leaders capable of transforming an entire organization.
On www.ronkepm.com, you’ll find valuable resources and articles to help you hone in on your soft skills while growing your product management and leadership abilities. These will get you thinking and help you to truly understand how to create a customer-focused product management culture, lead without authority, express gratitude and most of all – create product magic.
What is most important thing to consider in making customer centric products?
Embrace diversity with empathy. Customer empathy is to discern the nitty-gritty requirements and emotions of our customers. It’s not just identifying and delivering on their strategic and tactical needs but instead observing things from their point of view. As such, diversity plays a significant role in customer empathy. When organizations are inclusive and diversified internally, they can provide innovative solutions to customers’ problems, eliminating previous blind spots.
Understanding their drivers while empathizing with both our customers and team members is the foundation of developing products that make a difference. We can do this by safeguarding that we are listening to all our customers, not just the ‘loudest’ ones. We must disregard the approach of building products for people like us. Instead, we design and build products for a more comprehensive range of customers by allowing diversity to reflect the different types of product users.
Share with us some of the changes you would like to see happen in your field helping the next generation of successful women.
If we look around and observe successful individuals – they have a village, a personal board of directors. They all have a trusted group of people who had real constructive impacts in their lives. This is irrespective of the industry they work in. If these individuals are effective in their endeavors, we must remember they had a community they trusted that they could depend on when making tough decisions, applauding them and paving the way. Their village or personal board of directors are known as mentors.
I am a successful African American product leader. I am humbled by how far I have gotten in my career. I’m driven, motivated, intelligent, graceful, and I lead with humility. I’m profoundly grateful for my story in all of its messy brilliance. The person I am today evolved throughout the years because of four women who took a chance and mentored me. I am passing on the extraordinary gift these four women have bestowed upon me. I am paying it back by ensuring that I listen and offer assistance and advice to young product managers both inside and outside my organization. In addition, I continue to motivate and provide support for the women I work with inside and outside my department.
I implore anyone reading this blog to do the same if you are not already doing it. Just think of the effect of supporting young girls in grade school, women at the start of their career, or even the women you work with every day. Then, imagine how those actions can lead to more significant statistics of women reaching the C-Suite. Through the power of mentoring, we can inspire and help get the next generation of leaders ready. Who knows, they might be the ones to shatter the glass ceiling completely.
Is there any advice you would like to offer people interested in exploring opportunities in product management?
Being a product manager is one of the most humbling opportunities because I alone cannot build or solve customer problems. Early on, collaboration with cross-functional teams is the key to bringing about brilliant and exceptional solutions. This is done by offering these teams the voice of customer information, metrics and finding answers to their questions.
Fortitude does not howl; it does not clamor nor growl. Instead, fortitude is the hushed voice that plainly says get up and try again tomorrow. If one interview does not work out, pause, rest, but never give up. Impediments and obstructions are necessary. It is a part of our destiny. These adversities and barriers will lead you to the right place, the right time, the right product management job for you.
To anyone reading this article who faces setbacks or hindrances in accomplishing your dream – please do not give up. The generations of women who came before us always looked behind to see who was there, who needed help, and they pulled them up. When there was no opportunity, they created one to make our path much more accessible. They were only able to do that because they preserved. Therefore, we must continue to develop new opportunities for the next generation of women that will need our help to shatter the glass ceiling.
Be’n Original
