I have a simple 4 x 6 months framework when I think of jobs in product management and other similar roles in technology.
It takes 6 months to get on top of the details and figure out what we want to do.
In months 7-12, we begin notching up our first set of wins and feel “in flow” (assuming some competence :-)).
Months 13-18 is when we’re on top of our game. We notch up some more wins as we reach the top of our learning curve.
In months 19-24, we realize we’ve stopped learning. It is now time to figure out what comes next.
Of course, the specifics of every person’s timeline may be a bit different (e.g., 18 months to 24 months to 30 months). But the arc tends to be consistent.
It’s just helpful to know what to expect.
