Onboarding as a PM? Treat Your Coworkers Like Customers
How to nail your new PM role using your product discovery tool kit.
A few weeks ago, I hosted a Product Leadership Breakfast for PMs onboarding to new roles. We traded war stories and swapped onboarding tips.
And it got me thinking:
PMs underutilize their product skills when it comes to onboarding.
Because, let’s be honest, starting as a PM at a new company isn’t just about ramping up on the product.
It’s about:
learning the business,
explaining the role of product,
The best PMs treat their new coworkers the same way they would treat customers: with curiosity, active listening, and a deep desire to understand their needs before jumping into solutions.1
My most successful clients apply these product discovery principles as they navigate new roles, not just to build new products, but to build trusting relationships with new coworkers.
It’s something you do it all the time with your customers.
The skillset is there.
So use it.
Here are some of my favorite ways to set yourself up for success in those early days leveraging your product discovery tools.
1) Prioritize Relationship-Building Through Active Listening
Many readers might know that one of the best ways to kick off a new role is to go on a listening tour.
A listening tour is the the flurry of meetings you schedule with the key stakeholders you’ll be working with in your new role.
Listening tours are important because your coworkers hold institutional knowledge.
Good listening tours are filled with niceties and chit chat.
Great listening tours are filled with strategic, active listening.
Here’s how to amplify your listening tour to make it much more informative:
Understand the company’s history, culture, and organizational baggage. Every company has layers of decisions that shape how people work today. Knowing that context will help you avoid pushing ideas that have already been tested. On your tour, consider asking questions like:
What are some past product decisions that have significantly shaped the company?
How has the company’s culture influenced the way teams collaborate?
Are there any internal dynamics or historical events I should be aware of as I ramp up?
Identify key power centers and influencers. Informal networks of influence shape decision-making. Do your best to find out who actually drives change, early. Consider asking questions like:
Who are the people that others turn to for guidance?
How do product decisions typically get made here?
Are there any stakeholders whose buy-in is critical for getting things done?
Maintain emotional neutrality. You might even step into a team where people had their own aspirations for the role you now have. Or where past PMs made decisions that left lingering frustrations. Listen without judgment. Absorb without immediately reacting. And ask questions like:
What has been the team’s biggest challenge with product management in the past?
How do you prefer to collaborate with product managers?
What concerns or frustrations do you have about how product decisions are made?
What other questions do you ask on your listening tour? What’d I miss?
2) Show, Don’t Tell What Product Is and Does
One of the most exhausting parts of being a PM is not just doing the job but educating people on what the job is and why it matters.
This is especially true in a new company where expectations of product management might vary widely. A topic I’ve written about in depth…
To set yourself up for success try some of these tactics to show what product does, just like what you do with your customers:
Learn by Doing.
One of the biggest topics discussed at the breakfast was how to balance learning vs. doing in a new role. The reality is, you won’t have perfect information before making decisions, and that’s okay. The fastest way to ramp up is by taking action, learning from the results, and refining your approach.
Make small, reversible bets early on, gather feedback, and adjust quickly instead of waiting for the perfect strategy to emerge. Small, visible wins early on build credibility fast.
And to that end…
Get That Early Win.
PMs often struggle in new roles because they think they need to prove themselves only through product work or launching new products.
If you have expertise in another area—team facilitation, research, process improvement—use it. Demonstrating immediate value builds trust, even if it’s outside the core product domain.
Consider that descoping is a powerful impact you have early on, especially if you’re a leader. Don’t be afraid to exercise your power to shut down initiatives that aren’t working.2
Expect misunderstandings and repeat yourself often.
Clarity comes through repetition. Be ready to reinforce and explain your approach in different ways for different audiences.
I like to say that Product is a communications job. Just like your customers, your coworkers need you to repeat yourself over and over again.
3) Build a Personal Board of Directors
Finally, something I wish I spent more time doing when working in corporate, build a board of directors. Just like having advisory customers or pilot groups, bring in trusted peers and mentors to strengthen your onboarding process.
explains the Personal Board of Directors concept well and champions building your personal board here.
“A personal board of directors has people you trust, a diversity of perspectives and brutal honesty and accountability”
Consider stacking your board with:
Other PMs at your company
Join product guilds within your organization and get to know what the product practice looks like internally. Ask other PMs about processes, what’s worked and what’s failed as the organization has grown.
No other PMs? Sub in engineers, designers, sales and customer support to help you fill those gaps.
PMs outside of your company
Put effort into finding PMs outside of your company at your level, through informal peer groups, like Lenny’s, Sidebar and Supra, to get external perspectives on your approach. I love Women in Product’s peer coaching groups.
Mentors
Utilize folks inside and outside your company, aside from your manager, to shape your practices and learn from. Even if your manager is fantastic, it’s always helpful to balance learnings with someone who’s not responsible for your salary and promotions.
Coaches
Hiring a coach gives you a neutral, dedicated and accountable space to work out some of your hairiest work conundrums. Yes, it may be what inspired the name of my Substack, Product Therapy.
Having trusted advisors gives you a reality check and accelerates your growth.
It’s one of the biggest reasons PMs stagnant: they fail to build and nourish a trustworthy board of directors.
Starting strong at a new company isn’t about proving yourself overnight.
In fact, the number one thing I find myself repeating to clients in new to roles is: have more patience.
Earning trust, embedding yourself in the org’s fabric, and gradually making an impact takes time.
If you focus on listening, educating, and executing with intention, you’ll find your footing—and your influence—sooner than you think.
But realistically, don’t expect to get comfortable Day 2.
If you find yourself comfortable Day 2, you might get bored rather quickly.
Other onboarding tricks? I’d love to hear them!
Hi - I’m Jori and I’m a Product Coach.
If you’re looking for support - drop me a note, I’d love to connect. 🤝
I’m also hosting a Product Power Hour, Wednesday, Feb 19th 12pm EST. It’s an open space for PMs to experience product coaching with other, supportive product folks. RSVP!
I co-host Product Leadership Breakfast NYC, a monthly product breakfast series for PM leaders. If you live in NYC or find yourself passing through, join us! ☕
Remember that new PM who came into your company and tried to copy and paste all of their processes from their last company to your company within the first week. Nope, didn’t work out so well.
Not on Day One, of course.