# The PM Mindset Ladder  ## Metadata - Author: [[@ibscribe]] - Full Title: The PM Mindset Ladder - Category: #articles - Summary: The article discusses the different mindsets and career progression for product managers (PMs). It outlines a ladder from APM to CPO, focusing on skills like shipping features and forecasting markets. The author emphasizes the importance of clear communication and thoughtful career planning discussions for PMs. - URL: https://runthebusiness.substack.com/p/the-pm-mindset-ladder ## Highlights - You can see the breadth of mindsets here ranges from “ship feature” to “forecast market”, and there’s room here for all levels ranging from APM to CPO. Some examples of what a PM ladder overlaid on this framing could look like: • APM -> PM -> Sr. PM -> Staff / Principal PM -> Director -> VP -> CPO • PM I -> PM II -> Sr. PM -> Group PM -> Dir -> Sr. Dir -> VP -> SVP -> EVP ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hybbv8p3mcwgxphhmrfq4kba)) - The simple leveling translation I use: 1. can you ship? 2. can you contextualize? 3. can you manage a portfolio? 4. can you move business metrics? 5. can you create value for customers? 6. can you translate user problems into products? 7. can you differentiate and derisk opportunity pursuits? 8. can you identify one-off vs repeatable market opportunities? 9. can you articulate an instinct and point of view on market evolution? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hybbwpvaptj3www2fzn9j2xf)) - Another way to view this is 2 dimensions: execution and vision. The top left / bottom right stickies represent the extremes of those mentalities. And strategy is the through line that connects everything (see references section for more thoughts on this). [  ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5308b377-7076-4968-b201-8aceb58c9773_7728x6340.jpeg) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hybby2cpq8sv11mtasehy1hq))