Numbers & Empathy: The Key to Product Management at Workday
As a financial analyst managing grant portfolios, I often found myself playing with new technology to optimize processes. While evaluating an internally built system, I realized that my curiosity for improving these systems went beyond just numbers. It was about understanding and empathizing with the users behind those numbers. This realization set me on a path to product management — a journey that eventually led me to relocate to Boulder, CO, for a position at Workday.
From Financial Analyst to Product Manager
Before relocating to Boulder, I secured a position as a product manager for a grants financial forecasting product. After two years in that role, I began seeking opportunities where my work could have a greater impact and tackle more complex problems. Aware of Workday’s strong reputation in the grants space, I regularly checked for openings on their Grants team. When a position finally became available, I applied right away, and nearly three years later, I’m still here, thriving in my role.
Leveraging Financial Acumen and Empathy
Empathy and trust are essential for any product manager. My background as a financial analyst allows me to deeply understand and address users’ needs, which builds trust during customer discovery work. Combined with my domain knowledge in grants management, empathy helps me prioritize and design solutions that genuinely solve customer pain points. Having deep domain knowledge enables me to make informed decisions and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams. By understanding our customers’ specific needs and challenges, I can better guide the development of features that have a significant, positive impact. Empathy allows us to move beyond what customers say they want and uncover the underlying reasons behind their desires. This combination has been instrumental in my success (and the success of customers!) at Workday.
Fueling Growth through Mindset
Workday offers various training programs and workshops specifically designed for product managers to enhance their skills in product development, market and customer research, and technical deep dives at a functional level. These resources have been invaluable in honing my abilities as a product manager and staying informed across technical, analytical, and interpersonal domains. Our team also has a weekly collective where Product Managers and UX/Research teams share knowledge and review functional designs, which allows us to learn from each other. The growth mindset encouraged at Workday allows me to see challenges as opportunities to learn and expand my knowledge across technical, analytical, and interpersonal domains.
As a key member of the scrum team, Product Managers at Workday have the opportunity to work closely with development teams to understand how we will approach a solution technically. This hands-on experience and collaboration with the development team have been crucial in my technical learning and staying informed about the latest trends and advancements in technology. Additionally, I regularly attend webinars and online courses to further expand my knowledge in product management and keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of technology and customer needs.
Workday: Where Empathy, Curiosity, and Innovation Win
When you create a supportive and inclusive environment at work, employees naturally have a more positive experience every day. There is something special about Workday’s culture of empathy and respect that contributes to my sense of belonging, empowering me to contribute my unique insights and ideas. As an avid cyclist, work-life balance is crucial to me. Workday’s respect for personal well-being allows me to bring my best self to work each day, reinforcing my commitment to delivering high-quality products.
Looking ahead, I’m excited about leveraging new technologies like AI and ML to solve critical opportunities. At Workday, we get to be innovators rather than followers, constantly pushing the envelope to develop cutting-edge solutions. My advice to anyone considering a role in Product Management at Workday is to stay curious, build products with customer empathy at heart, and use data to validate your impact. Balancing empathy with data-driven decisions is key to success in product management.
My journey to product management at Workday has been one of discovery, learning, and growth. By leveraging my financial acumen and deep empathy for users, I’ve found a fulfilling career where I can make a significant impact. If you’re someone who values curiosity, continuous learning, and a supportive environment, there’s a place for you at Workday.
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