For the following highlight in our Girls in Product Administration collection, Nicole Tieche sat down with Orly Stern—lately promoted Normal Supervisor of Enterprise Functions 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 firms.
How Orly Received 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 know-how division of the largest financial institution in Israel. I began in knowledge and moved to growth, 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 probably 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 vital turning level in my profession.
Product Management Via 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 occasions. The staff was exhausted from making an attempt to repair it. What labored for me was setting a transparent route and being upfront about what we may and couldn’t obtain. I made positive to gather classes from the previous, contain the precise stakeholders from the start, and work in small increments to show we have been transferring in the precise route. Most significantly, I needed to imagine in myself and within the journey I used to be main with the staff.
Why World Product Work Is Definitely worth the Problem
Nicole: You’ve labored throughout totally different firms and cultures. What do you like about working with world groups?
Orly: I fell in love with the complexity. Inside a world group, you cope with totally different behaviors, cultures, and languages. Constructing belief and robust relationships in that atmosphere is a problem—however it’s additionally what makes the work so rewarding. You additionally serve clients all over the world, which implies totally different wants and expectations. Just lately, I visited China and noticed how our customers there interacted with our merchandise—it was fully totally different from what we see in Europe or Latam. Generally localization is simply content material, however typically it’s performance or integrations. That modifications 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 sturdy product groups?
Orly: Management begins and ends with folks. It’s not nearly hiring people—it’s about constructing a staff with the precise DNA. You need numerous abilities and views, however individuals who can work collectively towards one thing significant. Suggestions is vital. It’s a present, and it must be ongoing—not simply a few times a 12 months. It helps folks concentrate on their strengths and work on what they should enhance. And leaders have to guide by instance. You may’t simply say what to do—you need to roll up your sleeves and do the work alongside your staff.
What She Seems to be For in a Product Supervisor
Nicole: What gentle abilities do you search for when constructing a staff?
Orly: Power. It tells me how they’ll interact 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 concentrate on the corporate or the tech, that’s a purple flag. You need to be obsessed with clients and fixing their ache factors. I additionally search for focus—can they reduce by way of the noise and prioritize what issues?
Recommendation for Girls in Product Administration
Nicole: What recommendation do you’ve gotten for different girls 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 may sharpen my abilities. After I returned to product management, I used to be stronger and extra worthwhile to my staff. Take time to be taught the career. It’s a large area—merchandise range by sort, by market, by tech. Work with totally 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 anything you’d wish to share with our readers?
Orly: Product administration is the perfect career ever. You get to work on the intersection of shoppers, technique, enterprise, know-how, and operations. It’s onerous—however it’s additionally thrilling. You may have the flexibility to carry concepts to life and form how they attain folks. It’s a journey—and I like each a part of it.
Wish to strengthen cross-functional collaboration in your staff?
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 worthwhile.
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.
