How does your usual day look like?

I start my week on a Sunday (yep.. that usually surprises everyone else too, but in Israel its a normal working week). A typical working day for me starts with waking up at 8am, getting dressed and catching the bus to my office. I arrive around  9am and spend the first hour sitting with coffee and a yogurt to catch up on messages or urgent projects. As a business product manager, which is a new title in the industry, it puts me and my team in the middle of business priorities, processes and tools/softwares and the development teams who build them.

Our team goals are based on company KPI’s such as revenue and efficiency. All our projects are different and require both strategic business thinking and technical understanding. This means 80% of my days are filled with meetings to cover all the needs. My meetings range from discovery with senior management in different departments to analysing numbers, researching solutions and then mapping, designing, building (with our development teams), testing and training the company. I tend to leave the office around 6pm, get home and change for the gym before ending the day with cooking dinner and settling on the couch with a tv show or a book.  

What are the things you like the most about your role?

I love that my role is diverse, with most projects having a direct business impact. I get to be creative, collaborate with experts, and measure my work’s impact. I’ve worked in marketing, finance, consulting, partner relations, and operations across various companies. These roles taught me how businesses grow and adapt to achieve goals. Now, my job combines all these experiences into one focused role, prioritizing results and impact.

What are some of the skills you utilise the most in your day-to-day?

Communication, communication, communication: Like any product manager (or any role really), we get hundreds of requests, all of which are a priority for someone. We can only complete 30% of requests a quarter and we need to be able to justify why we prioritise certain projects over others. This relies on being able to communicate, empathise and explain with data the decisions we make to very senior people across the company. We are used to being challenged and pushed back with daily escalations. Becoming a trusted partner in the company  is our goal and responsibility, and communication is key to this.Collaboration: Even though this role is very independent, we have to collaborate constantly. I am often put in the middle of different departments, to challenge them to work together, plan and execute on projects. As well as working with our development teams at different stages. 

Time Management: There is always more to do. My to-do list is as long as my arm (X5)  and planning my week with enough time to complete everything in the right timeline is always a challenge. I learnt to focus on priority and block my calendar for the personal time needed to research and analyse my projects. 

What was one of your happiest days in your career and why?

This one took a minute to think about. I’m still young in my career and don’t identify with one  day in particular that stands out. However, years ago in a previous role my company sent me to the US to meet with their investors, network and present our plans for the coming year.

I felt too young, not professional or confident enough for this, but I approached it head strong. I met with amazing people from top companies and during the trip, I felt respected, knowledgeable and valued. I had new experiences that I never would have thought to achieve in that stage of my career and I learnt a lot, mainly that I need to trust myself.

What has been your greatest challenge on your career path and how did you overcome it?

Separating work and personal feelings. For many years I worked in startups. 50-200 people in young companies who need to run fast and where everything can be perceived as urgent. 

I loved these companies, loved my role, loved the people and loved the responsibility I held in my positions. However, all of this made me put the job and the work first and myself second . I had to learn that your job is not your family, you're always replaceable and there is always tomorrow. 

I am a born people pleaser and challenging myself to own my boundaries and put myself first was (and still sometimes is) my biggest challenge. 

What is something you had to learn to become better at your job?

Simplify everything and keep things short, direct and simple.

Problem, Solution, Impact, Result.

Technically there are 10 different ways I can cover those points for any project, but in order to get collaboration, sign-off and results you need to keep it simple. It took me a few months in this role to change my way of thinking and presenting in order to do my job better

How did you get to become a Business Product Manager?

Now that is a great question. The truth is, I took a shot and convinced them I was the right candidate. I knew product and I knew business. My experience was more business focused but I invested, self-taught and had great mentors over the years who exposed me to the world of product. So in my interviews I showed my strengths and was lucky enough to have been given the chance. 

What are the top three pieces of advice you would give to other women aiming to achieve long-term success in their careers?

1. Take risks and embrace a challenge. I can honestly say, I was never the most qualified for any job I got. I won’t lie, new opportunities are always part luck but a lot of it is hard work and confidence. I believe anyone can change careers and anyone can be promoted. You have to ask for it and put the work in. 

2. Learn from everyone around you and ask for help. I've been surrounded by people more experienced and much smarter than me. Some I turned to mentors, some just friends and some colleagues that you more naturally learn from when you pay attention.

3. Sometimes you need to forget about your end goal and focus on the stepping stones. Your journey will always change and you may change your mind along the journey. Embrace the journey and just learn to know when it's no longer right and you need to make a change.

Professional networking for women matters because…

Perspective. You never know who you will meet and where they can help you in your journey. Whether it's a group talk, a 1-1, a coffee date with someone who is in a position you want to get to. Networking teaches you your strengths, takes you out of your comfort zone and exposes you to other peoples truths which can only make you stronger and smarter. Even if you don't realise it.