“The most crucial skill set for success in this role is a comfort with ambiguity. Product management varies significantly across companies, teams, and product stages. Focusing on the core essence of product management helps navigate this ambiguity and directs where to invest time for success.”
Jack Grinblatt (MBA ‘21) is a Group Product Manager at Ford. Jack graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor degree in Behavioral Psychology in 2015. He started his career as a Data Analyst at Organic, an advertisement company. He combined both of his background in statistics and behavioral science into this position to help clients understand user behavior and improve their websites. He joined Powerley, a smart home startup, as the 10th employee on product analytics and later moved to product management. After graduating from MBA in May 2021, he accepted a Senior Product Manager position at Amazon Alexa Shopping and relocated to Seattle. In early 2023, he came back to Michigan and joined Ford.
1 What was your career plan in college?
I chose to study behavioral psychology in college out of my personal interest. Although the core focus was on behavioral aspects, a substantial part of the program emphasized statistics. This statistical foundation was essential as it presented me with the research function, involving testing hypotheses, making adjustments, and navigating the intricate realm of psychology. It is an evolving science with many unexplored facets. The application of hypothesis testing and statistical methodologies played a pivotal role in comprehending human behavior.
I decided to start my career with a role that would leverage more statistical training, which is a data analyst role in an advertisement company. It is the closest position to statistics that I can find without working for some institutions like the Bureau of Labor (laughter). It turned out super interesting and provided a unique intersection of human behavior and technology.
My first client was Hilton Worldwide. It found us to optimize the digital experience on all 11 Hilton brand websites (Doubletree, Hampton, etc). I was in charge of designing plans to measure human behavior on the website and then making recommendations to Hilton on both UI adaptations and strategic decisions. That process involved meticulous measurement of human behavior on the websites, leading to continuous optimization through a series of A/B and multivariate tests. In today’s setting, my role might be called Product Analyst. The complexity of managing 11 brand websites and running over a hundred tests simultaneously added an extra layer of challenge. My role as a product analyst involved not only understanding user behavior but also influencing it to create meaningful products for customers.
2 How did you learn about the product manager position and transition into it?
A startup named Powerley, came to my attention through a colleague while I was working in Organic. I heard from my colleague that this startup just started as a joint venture between DTE (the largest electric utility in Michigan) and Vectorform to improve real-time energy usage. It analyzes real time data from smart meters and uses that to optimize each household’s energy consumption. This sounded very fascinating to me, especially fitting well in my analytical realm. So I joined as the 10th employee of Powerley. I had absolutely no idea what product management meant when joining. And I thought it was just another analyst position as I did in my last job.
Smart homes might be ubiquitous nowadays. But it was such a new and rising field that had the potential to bring revolution to entire industries and daily life. As an example, at Powerley, we developed a neural net capable of disaggregating three-second energy data into individual appliance usage. This allowed us to identify when HVAC systems, refrigerators, washers, dryers, and more were in operation. The objective was to provide users with insights on how to reduce energy consumption and automate optimization.
Even though I was initially hired as a product analyst, you never wear only one hat in a startup (laughter). It was a dynamic experience that seamlessly transitioned into the realm of product management. And that was exactly how I transitioned to PM laterally. Over the course of 4.5 to 5 years, I remained the sole product manager until the team expanded. Beyond the product realm, I took on diverse responsibilities, being involved in marketing, supply chain, hardware manufacturing, inventory management, finance, contributing to strategy, and engaging in various business aspects. And interestingly, both my manager and I, who led the product discipline and customer relations, did not come from a product background. Learning by doing became our educational approach. What makes product management intriguing is its ability to draw individuals from diverse backgrounds. This diversity fosters varied perspectives when tackling problems, resulting in the creation of innovative products that cater to customer needs and contribute meaningfully to the business.
I was well aware that industry changes at hyper speed. Even if I still wanted to stay in the Product Management field, I believe an MBA as a generalist degree can open up lots of doors. While in MBA, I still worked on Powerley concurrently as a product manager. My passion for product management stems from its unique intersection of innovation, analytics, research, and strategy. It represents a career where creativity and scientific rigor converge, allowing for the design of exceptional user experiences. The product management role sits at the nexus of collaboration, working closely with engineering and design teams, creating an environment where diverse perspectives contribute to optimal product development. For me, it is the ideal career, offering a blend of creativity, strategy, and analytical thinking.
3 What are the skill sets you find critical in the PM career?
The most crucial skill set for success in this role is a comfort with ambiguity. Product management varies significantly across companies, teams, and product stages. Focusing on the core essence of product management helps navigate this ambiguity and directs where to invest time for success. I think product management boils down to two key aspects essentially:
- Firstly, it involves innovating exceptional products for customers and creating a meaningful impact for the company.
- Secondly, it requires organizing the team through effective mechanisms to execute on the product vision.
These two facets encompass a range of activities, from research and strategy to team organization. There are also more detailed skill requirements, including project management, prototyping, beta testing, product analytics, and communication with stakeholders and executive leadership. The specific focus and time allocation can vary based on the company’s context, but fundamentally, it revolves around achieving the above two objectives.
The first aspect involves generating new ideas. This is a critical component that may be overlooked, especially in established product scenarios. Whether working on a zero-to-one product, where one builds something entirely new, or optimizing an existing product, the need for innovation persists. Even with products in the market, the role requires thinking about the current state, envisioning the desired future, and strategizing on what needs to be true to reach that point. This process involves a dynamic portfolio management approach, encompassing the introduction of new features, enhancements, and potentially retiring obsolete ones. It’s a comprehensive approach to bridging the gap from the current state to the envisioned future.
4 What do you think sets junior PMs and senior PMs apart?
I believe all the PM skill sets evolve with the growth of a product manager. Most fundamental skill sets are required among all levels, such as solving ambiguous problems and managing teams. The ability of setting a north star metric for a product is critical in setting levels of PMs apart. For instance, many junior product managers tend to default to easily measurable metrics like monthly active users. However, it’s crucial to question whether that metric truly aligns with the overall strategy.
For example, if a junior PM focuses solely on monthly active users (MAU) for a product within a portfolio, they may miss the broader picture. Instead, I encourage PMs to analyze how their product contributes to the overall vision and what metric truly defines success in that context. The north star metric should reflect how the product aligns with the company’s strategy and logically contributes to its revenue. Setting the right north star metric involves defining a strategy tied to revenue, logically connecting the product’s contribution to the company’s growth, and breaking down the levers that will influence success.
5 Tell us something that is not on your LinkedIn/resume
I have a strong passion for outdoor activities and adventure. I attended a survival course in Utah, where we had only a knife and a water bottle for seven days in the desert. I love camping, hiking, exploring, hunting and fishing. I think it’s crucial to have interests and hobbies outside of the direct career. These are great ways for me to learn other walks of life to avoid getting confined to the biases of industry.
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