For the following highlight in our Ladies in Product Administration sequence, Nicole Tieche sat down with Orly Stern—not too long ago promoted Normal Supervisor of Enterprise Purposes at Payoneer and former VP of Product Administration. Discussing product management and challenges, Orly shares her unconventional path into product, the teachings she realized turning round a failed product, and the way she builds high-performing groups in world tech corporations.
How Orly Acquired Her Begin in Product
Nicole: Welcome, Orly. Let’s begin with how you bought into product administration.
Orly: Fifteen years in the past, I labored within the expertise division of the largest financial institution in Israel. I began in knowledge and moved to improvement, however I felt like one thing was lacking. I wanted extra motion. I used to be younger and daring and reached out to one of many executives main essentially the most progressive areas. I instructed him I needed to be taught from him. He requested if I knew what product administration was. I mentioned no, however I’ll be taught. That dialog modified my life—I began in a management function, managing all of the digital merchandise within the financial institution and main a bunch of product managers. That was a important turning level in my profession.
Product Management By Challenges
Nicole: That was extremely daring—and it actually paid off. Are you able to share a product administration problem you’ve overcome?
Orly: The hardest was taking possession of a high-stakes product that had failed a number of instances. The crew was exhausted from making an attempt to repair it. What labored for me was setting a transparent course and being upfront about what we might and couldn’t obtain. I made certain to gather classes from the previous, contain the correct stakeholders from the start, and work in small increments to show we have been transferring in the correct course. Most significantly, I needed to consider in myself and within the journey I used to be main with the crew.
Why International Product Work Is Well worth the Problem
Nicole: You’ve labored throughout completely different corporations and cultures. What do you’re keen on about working with world groups?
Orly: I fell in love with the complexity. Inside a world group, you take care of completely different behaviors, cultures, and languages. Constructing belief and powerful relationships in that atmosphere is a problem—however it’s additionally what makes the work so rewarding. You additionally serve prospects world wide, which implies completely different wants and expectations. Just lately, I visited China and noticed how our customers there interacted with our merchandise—it was fully completely different from what we see in Europe or Latam. Generally localization is simply content material, however typically it’s performance or integrations. That adjustments how we take into consideration product.
What It Actually Takes to Construct Robust Product Groups
Nicole: Let’s speak about your ardour for groups. What does it take to construct robust product groups?
Orly: Management begins and ends with folks. It’s not nearly hiring people—it’s about constructing a crew with the correct DNA. You need numerous expertise and views, however individuals who can work collectively towards one thing significant. Suggestions is important. It’s a present, and it must be ongoing—not simply a couple of times a 12 months. It helps folks give attention to their strengths and work on what they should enhance. And leaders have to guide by instance. You may’t simply say what to do—it’s important to roll up your sleeves and do the work alongside your crew.
What She Seems For in a Product Supervisor
Nicole: What delicate expertise do you search for when constructing a crew?
Orly: Vitality. It tells me how they’ll have interaction stakeholders and get folks enthusiastic about their imaginative and prescient. I additionally take heed to what they select to speak about. Do they point out buyer wants? In the event that they solely give attention to the corporate or the tech, that’s a crimson flag. You must be obsessed with prospects and fixing their ache factors. I additionally search for focus—can they lower by the noise and prioritize what issues?
Recommendation for Ladies in Product Administration
Nicole: What recommendation do you’ve got for different ladies contemplating a profession in product administration?
Orly: Be assured. Sit on the desk. And don’t skip the foundational work. I began as a frontrunner in product administration, however I ultimately took a step again into a person contributor function so I might sharpen my expertise. After I returned to product management, I used to be stronger and extra priceless to my crew. Take time to be taught the occupation. It’s a large area—merchandise differ by kind, by market, by tech. Work with completely different groups and managers to construct a well-rounded view of what product administration actually is.
Why She Nonetheless Believes Product Is the Finest Job within the World
Nicole: Is there the rest you’d prefer to share with our readers?
Orly: Product administration is the most effective occupation ever. You get to work on the intersection of consumers, technique, enterprise, expertise, and operations. It’s exhausting—however it’s additionally thrilling. You might have the flexibility to carry concepts to life and form how they attain folks. It’s a journey—and I really like each a part of it.
Need to strengthen cross-functional collaboration in your crew?
If Orly’s story resonated with you—particularly her emphasis on constructing belief, aligning round a shared imaginative and prescient, and clear product management—you may discover our Product Administration Collaboration for Stakeholders workshop priceless.
It’s a hands-on session designed to assist product groups and their stakeholders work higher collectively, make clear roles, and scale back friction throughout the product lifecycle.
