By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan reflects on witnessing gender-based bias early in his career and argues that avoiding discrimination is not enough; leaders must actively work to counter the lingering effects of past inequities. He focuses on the product management role because it is a strong pipeline to CEO and general manager positions. He points to concrete actions such as widening recruiting pools rather than only filtering for diverse candidates, ensuring teams can contribute safely, and speaking up against harassment. He also describes personal commitments, including reshaping the image of a strong product manager, offering workshop scholarships, and connecting promising people with good product leaders.
01Key takeaways
- Not discriminating is a baseline; actively working to correct past inequities is the higher standard.
- Expand the recruiting pipeline itself instead of only prioritizing resumes from under-represented groups.
- Ensure every team member can contribute from a psychologically safe place.
- Speak up immediately when you witness harassment or discrimination, since it diminishes the whole team.
- Use your influence to connect promising people with strong product leaders who can help them grow.
02Key sections
- A personal moment of bias
- Cagan recalls a stack-ranking meeting at HP where a male employee was favored for supporting a family, an assumption he found flawed and regrettably did not challenge.
- From non-discrimination to anti-discrimination
- He distinguishes between passively avoiding bias and actively working to reverse its legacy, which requires deliberate effort.
- The Craft Conference example
- Cagan cites a conference that moved from a non-discrimination policy to diversity scholarships to proactively increase representation.
- Concrete actions for leaders
- He recommends expanding the recruiting funnel, making teams psychologically safe, and calling out harassment and discrimination when seen.
- Personal commitments
- Cagan commits to changing perceptions of product managers, offering scholarship spots, and steering talented people toward strong product leaders.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.