Opinions on Principal PM vs Director of Product?

12 Comments

1. Jana MaclellanDecember 18,2023 at 9:33PM UTC

   What are your long term goals? You could be right about what would happen if you choose Principal. If you do choose Director, then they would probably train you to be a team leader at some point in the near future. But the choice is ultimately up to you.

2. AnonymousDecember 18,2023 at 9:59PM UTC

   If you don't like the pressures of leading a team then I would stay away from the whenever possible. There are other ways to serve your career, stay happy and and far less stressed. If there are responsibilities that you don't naturally align with, and have the chance to avoid, I say take that choice. Not everyone wants to manage teams. That is not the only path to growth.

3. AnonymousDecember 19,2023 at 10:56PM UTC

   Thanks for weighing in! I guess at the heart of my question is: what is the path for growth on the Principal track? From the outside looking in, it feels more like a treadmill.

4. AnonymousDecember 19,2023 at 11:04PM UTC

   I see more of the same in the Director of Product role. I'm a believer there is a time for everything. I always adhere to the rule of not over-thinking and projecting. I go with my gut.

5. Sydney SlateDecember 18,2023 at 10:34PM UTC

   Go with the principal role! You’ll still learn new things in a new roll while still being in a comfortable place emotionally, a good balance needed in the workplace.

6. Barb HansenDecember 19,2023 at 4:04AM UTC

   Does your company pay the same for Principal PMs as they do Director of Products?

   If there is a pay difference (which there could be b/c Directors appear to be people leaders) does that pay difference matter to you?

   Other than my question about pay rate, if you can gain product experience without the "pressure of leading a team," then I think you have your answer.

   As a side note: If your product career goal is to continue up the ladder, at some point soon, you'll have to lead a team, but that doesn't mean you have to lead that team now.

   Good luck!

7. AnonymousDecember 19,2023 at 12:44PM UTC

   Well, it depends...Have you been a people leader before?Would the director position be leading people leaders or individual contributors? Where do you want to go within your career? What do you think contributes to the pressure of leading teams?

   The hard truth is, typically if you want to progress you'll have to be a people leader at some point...whether it's progression within your current org or outside of it. Once you have your team established it can actually be quite rewarding and if you do it right they can run themselves while you focus on strategic initiatives while growing/developing the team.

8. AnonymousDecember 19,2023 at 10:53PM UTC

   I think you nailed it on the head with what I'm struggling with - the want to have upwards progression. I think there's a huge gap between "hey you're now in charge" (which has happened to me) and doing it well. I got overwhelmed by all the little details and tried to be on top of everything myself rather than delegating because its hard for me to trust junior people for things I'm personally responsible. Any tips?

9. AnonymousDecember 20,2023 at 1:46PM UTC

   Ah yes! Delegation is what I struggled with, but it was early on in my career when I went from an individual contributor to a supervisor. I'm grateful that it happened then because I look back on the mistakes I made and boy were they doozys. I remember having nightmares about being responsible for everything because I was horrible at delegating because I didn't trust my employees. You have to figure out why you don't trust your employees and work on that. Leadership is not a once size fits all approach and it's now up to you to get the best work out of your employees by recognizing that. Learn your employees and what motivates them. For example, you might have an employee that you know will take twice as long as you to do things, add that extra time into the due date and eventually with enough practice they will get just as good as you at completing the task. You may have another employee that doesn't understand your instructions/requests. It's up to you to communicate so that your employee understand the requirements and that may require you to explain it different ways and multiple times...even sending written instructions. You may have an employee who you may have to check in with more frequently when you assign a task. Get a mentor that you wouldn't mind working for and study their leadership traits and bounce scenarios off of them to get a sense of how they would handle the situations you'll be faced with. A lot of companies offer leadership training, start with that. Remember, you will not have the answers and admit when you are wrong. You will be wrong sometimes maybe many times but that's OK. Be authentic. Don't bark orders and if you can provide the why of something is being done...tie it to the company/department's overall goals, values or strategy.

10. JJDecember 19,2023 at 11:11PM UTC

    In the large corporation I work for both are great options.

11. Annetta MosesDecember 20,2023 at 2:52AM UTC

    I was a Principal at a company for a few years and then accepted a Director role at the same company. If you are not interested in leading a team at this time in your career, be a Principal. You can be a Director if you want to lead a team later in your career.

12. AnonymousDecember 23,2023 at 5:50PM UTC

    It depends, it depends on the size of the company, it depends on the grading (salary/stock/level) of each role. Yes Directors can become senior directors and also VP's. So typically on most technical tracks (assuming you are a TPM) there is a dual ladder. Ask for the steps on both sides internally and sit down with HR/Manager and decide using those metrics and how the company rewards and trains as your guide. Then you can make the best decision for yourself. Typically in smaller companies there is only one Director of Product since it is usually too small for the product roadmap to have different pieces big enough for a full role. Think about that too because that should also be a part of how you decide. Reflect on how long you plan on being in the company as when you leave title will matter to where and what level you want to land in next.

    It's a champagne problem to have and great that your manager is letting you be a part of the opportunity to select the title.