Magali Pelissier - Founder @Product Perspectives Podcast, Lead Product Manager @RFI Global, Ex- @Anaplan,
Hi, I'm Magali Pelissier (She/Her), a leading Product Manager with experience in B2B and B2C, SaaS and data products, enterprise and start-up environments in multiple industries, as an individual contributor and manager. With a background in aeronautical engineering and economics, I started my career in analytics before moving to technology.
I fell in love with product management after my experience on the customer side, as I was keen to influence the product roadmap. I enjoy thinking holistically about the entire customer experience and creating work environments based on trust and openness.
I created and host the podcast “Product Perspectives” where I invite stakeholders to talk about how to better collaborate with product managers. I swam the Channel as a relay to raise money for a charity in London, my beloved city where I've been living for more than 6 years.
What does your typical day look like?
Meetings :) A lot of them, for sharing information (although I like to refer people to documentation that my team has created), to influence people, to build relationships, and also just to listen and show I'm here. I also try and reserve time for deep thinking, to put together plans and strategies.
Why did you choose to become a product manager? How do you see things differently than the rest?
I think Product Management chose me. I was a super user of a SaaS product called Anaplan and I kept on raising feature requests and giving feedback to the product teams and everyone who would listen to me. At some point, they had no choice than to bring me in!
What's the one thing that you absolutely love about your job?
Getting to the bottom of the problem: too many people come up with solutions quickly without having understood fully the problem, and backed it up by data. I'm an advocate of "a problem well explained is half resolved", there's nothing worse than solving the wrong problem but unfortunately these things happen a lot. I think a lot of people would benefit from having a product mindset.
What are some of the cool things that you are working on currently?
Data, data, data. Everybody talks about it, everybody wants it. But my role is not to give them what they think they want, it's to solve their problems. So my goal is to help people solve business problems with data, i.e. to make use of data in the most efficient and insightful way. That's what I'm working on: how to make data easier to understand and use, how to integrate it in the business user journey.
What are some of the emerging trends in your industry that excite you? And why?
Both of them involve growth: product-led growth (as opposed to sales driven) and growth product manager. Because we need to use more data to make product decisions and these trends support this. However, this is already happening. The future is about how do product managers leverage new technologies like AI, VR, Web3 themselves to make better products. There are lots of applications from user research to product execution.
Do you follow any product/prioritization frameworks when making decisions? If yes, what are some of the top frameworks that you recommend and why?
No, in a small company, the focus isn't on the process but on the decision itself. I've got two main goals (one focused on new revenue stream and a secondary one related to cost savings), which can be split into sub-goals, and that's what's driving my decisions.
What’s the one tool you couldn’t do your job without, and which very few people know about?
I rely heavily on ClickUp which is an app that does it all, I’m serious. It replaces JIRA for project management and roadmapping, it replaces Loom for video sharing, it replaces Confluence for documentation, and right now we’re even using it as a ticketing system while we’re waiting for funding to use a dedicated too. I’m addicted to it!
What's something that you learned/realized recently in your work journey that you wish you knew earlier?
The way you communicate becomes even more important as you become more senior and start talking to Executives, and the only way to improve your public speaking skills is to practice.
If you don't mind sharing, what's the one mistake you've done and will advise others not to repeat?
Assuming people know what a product manager is and have a product mindset, that they understand why UX Research and UX Design aren't optional, that they know how to take notes from customer interviews and ask non-biased questions... All of this is obvious to a product manager, but we have to keep educating people about it.
What are some of your biggest inspirations that help you get up and do your best work?
I'm inspired by conversations with people that I invite to my podcast "Product Perspectives". I always leave the conversation thinking about ways I could implement the learnings and how it could make me a better product manager.
What would you recommend to people who want to start their careers in your space?
Do your homework: read articles, listen to podcasts, do some courses or certifications, but more importantly get some hands-on experience - like for instance applying the theory to a product you use, volunteering as a product manager for a non-profit organisation.
Any new companies you know of that you think are going to make a big difference, which we should keep an eye on?
There are thousands of companies looking to make a positive impact on the environment or society. Whether they succeed or not, they are great inspiration for how a product manager can contribute.
Anything you want to promote or plug?
I produce and host the podcast Product Perspectives, which is available on all major podcast platforms. I interview people in the product ecosystems, from designers and developers, to sales, marketing and even support, to understand better their role and how we can make better products together.
You can follow the podcast on Linkedin too
https://www.linkedin.com/company/product-perspectives/
Are you open to people new the industry reaching out to you for help?
Yes, contact me on magalipelissier@hotmail.fr or Linkedin