A few years ago, I met a Product Owner who had hit a career plateau. She felt stuck in a cycle of managing roadmaps, resolving bugs, and navigating endless meetings. While she wasn’t failing, she wasn’t growing either.
One day, during a coaching session, she asked, “What can I do to invest in myself?”
She had been so focused on the daily grind that she hadn’t considered her long-term growth. That question set me on a journey to develop a path I now call the E.L.E.V.A.T.E. Model.
This framework is a guide, helping product leaders move from feeling stuck to becoming more confident, capable, and fulfilled Product Owners. If you’ve ever wondered how to break out of a rut or take your career to the next level, this model can help. Let’s explore how.
The E.L.E.V.A.T.E. Model is designed to help professional Product Owners unlock sustainable and fulfilling career growth by embracing evolution, experimentation, and continuous value creation.
- It borrows proven strategies from career development theories.
- It transforms existing principles into actionable steps.
- It combines elements like skill-building, adaptability, and value focus into a holistic approach.
E – Explore: Borrow Inspiration to Build Your Foundation
Growth begins with understanding successful paths. Analyse how others achieve results. Study top performers. Identify patterns shaping their decisions. Borrow proven effective strategies:
- Shadow senior product leaders. Observe their methods. Note how they approach problem-solving. Imitate their focus on priorities. Adapt lessons learned into daily workflows.
- Examine case studies, uncover techniques driving innovative solutions, decode frameworks used by leading teams, and apply insights to shape exceptional products.
- Map trajectories. Study leaders' transitions through roles. Trace skills acquired during key phases. Learn how they leverage opportunities into advantages.
Exploration creates clarity. Foundations built this way provide blueprints for progress. Start with what works and improve from there.
L – Learn: Transform Knowledge into Mastery
Lifelong learning is a non-negotiable investment in yourself. Expand your skillset with a focus on adaptability. Skill-building drives career growth. Focus your effort where impact multiplies. Master tools that are reshaping industries. Develop expertise that sets you apart.
- Identify gaps stalling progress, pinpoint areas requiring growth, and then prioritise skills to advance decision-making.
- Seek out modern leadership ideas and techniques to strengthen your ability to guide teams.
- Read widely and then look for opportunities to combine insights across fields. Could you merge behavioural psychology into product design? Blend data science into customer research?
- Practice deliberately. Push beyond comfort zones. Solve harder problems repeatedly. Track improvement through consistent feedback.
Learning transforms careers. Investments here compound over time. Mastery emerges from commitment—be relentless.
E – Experiment: Prototype Your Career Moves
Progress demands testing new ideas. Treat your career as a series of experiments. Small changes reveal big insights.
- Volunteer for different products, and test newly learned leadership styles or innovative approaches during collaborations.
- Pilot workflow improvements, such as new tools to enhance customer collaboration.
- Implement strategies refining prioritisation and then measure outcomes to create feedback loops to further refine your approach.
- Continuously iterate, assess experiments objectively, keep what works, discard what does not, and build momentum through refined actions.
Experimentation accelerates growth. Each iteration sharpens skills. Success emerges from bold, calculated risks.
V – Value Creation: Focus on Delivering Tangible Results
Careers thrive on impact. Effort must translate into measurable outcomes. Focus attention on solving meaningful problems.
- Don’t be modest! Document contributions regularly, highlight actions improving key metrics, and showcase results demonstrating business value.
- Align product priorities with company goals—direct energy toward initiatives enhancing revenue, efficiency, or customer satisfaction. Make every action purposeful.
- Track progress visibly. Share wins through updates. Build credibility by linking outcomes to decisions. Ensure others recognise your value.
Value creation solidifies reputations. Consistent results establish trust. Impact speaks louder than intentions—deliver relentlessly.
A – Adaptability: Thrive Amid Change
Success requires agility. Careers evolve through constant shifts. Embrace change as an opportunity.
- Anticipate industry trends. Study advancements that are shaping product ownership. Prepare for disruptions early.
- Refine strategies continuously. Adjust methods aligning with new challenges. Innovate solutions adapting to evolving demands.
- Strengthen resilience. View setbacks as lessons. Bounce back stronger after failures. Build mental toughness through flexibility.
Adaptability ensures relevance—those who pivot with purpose excel. Thrive by turning uncertainty into growth.
T – Trust Building: Lead with Influence
Influence grows through trust. Relationships define career trajectories. Foster credibility through authentic interactions.
- Communicate transparently. Share goals, challenges, and progress openly. Demonstrate honesty in guiding decision-making.
- Listen actively. Show genuine interest during conversations. Understand perspectives shaping stakeholder priorities.
- Be generous with the time and effort you spent on helping others to achieve what’s important to them; whether its hitting a key deliverable or gaining an opportunity for growth.
- Deliver on promises. Meet deadlines consistently. Align actions with commitments. Reliability earns respect.
Trust transforms leaders. Influence stems from credibility. Build connections others rely on—lead confidently.
E – Expand: Broaden Your Impact
Growth depends on reach. Careers flourish through extended influence. Share knowledge and inspire others.
- Publish insights regularly. Write blogs or articles highlighting expertise. Showcase thought leadership shaping industry trends.
- Mentor peers or juniors. Guide others navigating challenges. Strengthen leadership skills while expanding professional networks.
- Engage with communities. Join forums, attend events, or participate in panels. Build visibility among industry professionals.
- Be the one that reaches out for a one-to-one catchup with colleagues old or new. Check in with people, not when you need something but when they might.
Expansion multiplies opportunities. Broader impact attracts recognition. Share generously—success follows those who elevate others