Main takeaways: - It's product management, not software engineering - Lead the Product and not the Tech. - Develop a very transparent strategy and roadmap - Open communication unlocks the understanding of the value you need to ship

1. www.productschool.com
How to Focus on Shipping Value as a
PM by fmr Mastercard PM

2. Join 40,000+
Product Managers on
Free Resources
Discover great job
opportunities
Job Portal
prdct.school/PSJobPortalprdct.school/events-slack

3. CERTIFICATES
Your Product Management Certificate Path
Product Leadership
Certificate™
Full Stack Product
Management Certificate™
Product Management
Certificate™
20 HOURS40 HOURS40 HOURS

5. Corporate
Training
Level up your team’s Product
Management skills

6. Kwame Odame
T O N I G H T ’ S S P E A K E R

7. From Engineering to Product:
Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome
__________________
Kwame Odame
kwameogh@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/kwameyodame

8. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Agenda
1. Fun Facts About Me
2. What is Product Management?
3. My Journey to Product
4. The Impostor Syndrome
5. Challenges Faced
6. 5 issues with the Impostor Syndrome
7. Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome
8. Key Takeaways

9. Fun Facts About Me
❏ Originally from Ghana. Grew up in
Swaziland
❏ Family of Entrepreneurs
❏ Started a sneaker business at age 13,
and then ventured into music at 16
❏ BA in Computer Science
❏ Background in Payments Industry
(Biometrics & Authentication)
❏ Recently moved to the Bay Area

10. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication

11. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
What is Product Management? - Industry Definition

12. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
What this definition of Product Management is missing
You
What? Why? How?

13. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
My definition of Product ManagementSo, what is Product Management?
Product
Strategy
Define What Problems are Worth Solving
Product
Roadmap
WHY WHAT
Product
Manager

14. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
2016 2019
PM, eCommerce
Media Commerce Horizontal
My Journey to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
2015
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
SDE full-time interviewing
Attended HBS Africa Business
Conference
2017 2018
Product
Biometrics Platform
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Product
Authentication Platform

15. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
The Impostor Syndrome

16. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
What does it mean to be an Impostor?
How many of you feel like an impostor in your job?

17. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
58% of Tech Workers feel like Impostors*
- Survey taken by BLIND in late 2018
- Sample Size = 10, 402
- Of 17 companies represented, only 3 had less
than 50% of the surveyed employees
experiencing Impostor Syndrome
Source: Blind Survey

18. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Challenges Faced

19. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Engineering
● “I am not good enough in
coding”
● “There is so much to learn”
● “What I know now, is not
enough”
● “I failed an interview. It is
just not meant to be”

20. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Product
● “I am an introvert. How am I
meant to constantly
communicate with people?”
● “I am more comfortable
being an engineer”
● “How do I learn strategy?
These people seem to be so
good at it”
● “I failed an interview. It is
just not meant to be”

21. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
5 issues with the Impostor Syndrome
1. We work really hard. Burnout. And then hate our jobs
2. We believe someone is watching. Therefore, we need to work 2x harder
3. We focus on what others have to say about us (Good or Bad) and use this
to define our value
4. We allow the fast pace of the industry to define our unique learning curve
5. We don’t take big tasks and break them down, in order to achieve small
wins

22. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome
1. Mentorship
2. Self-reminders
3. Made my voice heard
4. Prioritization
5. Patience

23. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
Key Takeaways

24. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
1. You Possess an extremely
powerful super power:
Speaking the Engineering
language

25. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
2. Be able to discern what is
important, & what is not

26. My Path to Product Management
SDE Internship #1
Corporate Business Technologies
SDE Internship #2
Operations
Stumbled upon YouTube Channel
Product
Biometrics Platform
Product
Authentication
3. The patience you exercised
in learning how to code, will
serve you well

27. __________________
Kwame Odame
kwameogh@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/kwameyodame
Final Thoughts
The Imposter Syndrome is
a self-inflicted wound. It’s
cure simply lies in a boost
in our self-confidence.

28. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management Training Courses
and
Corporate Training