Skip level meetings for product managers - what is it, why is it important, how to use it to accelerate your career

Skip-level meeting is your chance to understand your role, connect with others, align on what’s essential, tackle any roadblocks, and gather honest feedback.

Skip meeting is a one-on-one conversation between you and your manager's manager—someone higher up in the organization. These meetings are valuable because they allow you to share your thoughts, ask questions, and gain insights from a different perspective. They help you understand the company's larger goals and foster connections across levels. Skip-level meetings ensure your voice is heard and you feel more connected within the organization.

In this article, I share the following about skip-level meetings:

• The definition
• The purpose and benefits
• How to run the perfect skip-level meeting
• Tricks to leverage skip-level meetings to accelerate your career

What is Skip Level Meeting?

A skip-level meeting is a one-on-one conversation between you and your manager's manager, commonly called the "skip-level" manager. 

Unlike performance reviews, these meetings focus on building rapport and understanding the company from a higher perspective. For many employees, this may be the first chance to connect directly with their boss’s boss.

Engaging in a skip-level meeting allows you to express your ideas and concerns, helping to bridge any gaps that may exist in communication across levels. It creates a valuable opportunity for you and your skip-level manager to gain new things.

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What Are The Purpose And Benefits Of Skip-Level Meetings?

The primary purpose of a skip-level meeting is to increase the impact and visibility of your work by doing all of the following:

1. Encouraging open and broad bottom to top communication
2. Increasing radius and quantum of influence
3. Increasing visibility, transparency, and trust
4. Gaining alignment on strategic direction and focus areas
5. Defining your role and success clearly
6. Improving inter and intra-team collaboration
7. Getting and providing candid feedback
8. Increase job satisfaction

Also Read- How to get a product manager job? A Guide For Aspiring Product Managers

Encouraging Open And Broad Communication:

Most communication in hierarchical organisations is top-down. And that is an ineffective communication strategy.

Skip-level meetings enable bottom-to-top communication and prevent any information gaps.

Bruce Harriman writes in this HBR article:

"Upward communications are poor in most hierarchical organisations because perception downward is poorer than perception upward. Add to that the "filters" of management levels that dilute upward communications. As you go higher, the word gets more garbled, edited, or, even worse, eliminated entirely."

You should (read: need to) know what and how leaders think while clarifying what you're working on. And that is where skip-level meetings come in.

I won't lie—meeting with a senior leader initially seems intimidating. But if done correctly, skip-level meetings can be a great way to gain broader insight across the organisation's seniority levels. 

In my experience, only a few other forums provide 1:1 access to the leaders' minds; hence, these forums are critical to the product's success and the PM's career.

Once in 45 days is a good cadence for these meetings.

Increasing Radius And Quantum Of Influence:

Think of all the times when you've been trying to align a tough stakeholder but haven't been able to.
Share progress and such blockers with your skip manager, and ask them to help you understand what you should do to gain alignment with your stakeholders. They will inevitably have tricks that will do the job.

Building influence as a product manager is tricky but very critical. Use these meetings to learn "how to do it better" or ask them to do it for you.

Over time, this will help you increase your influence.

Increasing Visibility, Transparency, And Trust:

Leaders might only sometimes have in-depth knowledge of what you're working on, your progress, your challenges, and the blockers.

Meeting with them regularly will remove this information gap, enabling you to get guidance before it is too late.

Secondly, sharing more information with your leaders is a great tactic for helping them build trust in your capabilities and work. Trust goes a long way toward career growth.

Gaining Alignment On Strategic Direction And Focus Areas:

There will be times when you're working on critical tasks or projects. But in reality, they might not be as important. Or they might not be necessary anymore.

By having regular chats with your skip-level manager, you can easily avoid such misalignment.

More importantly, you can use these meetings to learn the leaders' current and future focus areas and align your work to those goals.

The closer you are aligned to their goals, the more chances you have to create a high impact (and accelerate your career growth.)

Defining Your Role And Success Clearly:

The product management role is often defined loosely, and that is usually not good. If the role is not defined well, then the criteria for succeeding or getting promoted will also not be defined well.

If you are in such a situation, it is critical to use these meetings to understand your skip-level manager's perspective on your role, expectations, and success criteria.

The sooner you know their expectations, the sooner you can deliver what they expect you to do, and the sooner you can grow in your role.

Improving Inter And Intra-Team Collaboration:

As product managers, we are expected to face challenges collaborating with our immediate or partner team members. These challenges could be people-related, process-related, or for other reasons.

Whatever the case, discussing such challenges with your skip-level manager will help you find ways to tackle them. 

More importantly, it will give your skip-level a deeper understanding of team issues. Then, they can use that to investigate and fix these challenges for the better.

Getting And Providing Candid Feedback:

It is essential to share candid feedback with leaders about your challenges. Ideally, share this information with your direct manager. However, some cases might be more sensitive, and you might feel uncomfortable sharing it with your manager. In such cases, sharing it with your skip-level manager is essential. 

The goal here is not to complain but to help leaders understand the ground reality. If some things or people are slowing you down or preventing your success, you should highlight them in these meetings.

Secondly, these forums are also vital for getting feedback about your performance. Typically, skip-level managers have a decisive say in your career growth (and promotions), and getting their feedback early and working on it will help you create a stronger case for development.

Increase Job Satisfaction:

Talking to leaders - who usually have more experience and knowledge - about the company, industry, product, and people is generally refreshing. Getting perspectives from experienced leaders will help you appreciate your work and job much more. And that should help you stay motivated and happy on the job.

How To Run The Perfect Skip-Level Meeting?

To ensure that you get the most out of each meeting, you should:

1. Be prepared for each meeting: Prepare a set agenda before the meeting and share it with your skip manager in advance.

2. Prepare questions: Have a list of questions or topics to discuss. (Here is an excellent list of questions to ask your skip-level manager)

3. Lead the meeting: Treat this meeting as your time. Lead the conversation as you like and focus on the most critical topics. That said, always leave room for them to add skill-level meeting topics to the agenda as required.

4. Document meeting notes: Always document what you discuss and decide. It is important to have notes so you can refer to them quickly. Also, since you might only sometimes meet your skip manager, it's good to have a document to remember where you left off.

5. Meet regularly. Establish a regular cadence and stick to it. Don't cancel meetings even if you don't have a specific agenda. Talking to your leaders will almost always reveal something meaningful that will help accelerate your career.

How Can Skip-Level Meetings Accelerate Your Career:

Many product managers do not have skip-level meetings. And that is a huge mistake.

D these meetings without fail, as they will allow you to achieve things that are most critical for your success. 

Through these meetings, you should be achieving these goals:

1. Align on the highest priority focus areas. Try to work on projects that directly contribute to those areas.
2. Share your career aspirations with them. They will have more power than your manager to help you get closer to your professional goals.
3. Get guidance and coaching from them. Product management requires us to work with many people, who we need to influence, excite, and motivate to help us succeed. Getting advice on this topic from someone who has been there is always helpful.
4. Acquire knowledge about the role, industry, and competitors. Leaders have broader exposure than us, access to other leaders in the industry, and a much larger and higher-quality pool of wisdom than ours. Tapping into that wisdom will help you be more aware and stand out from your peers.

Summing Up!

Skip-level meetings are your secret weapon as a product manager. They’re not just another item on your to-do list; they’re golden opportunities to connect with someone higher up in the organization who can offer insights you might not get otherwise. Think of these chats as a chance to share your experiences, voice your challenges, and even discuss your career aspirations. It’s about building relationships and ensuring your voice is heard.

So, embrace these meetings! Prepare some thoughtful questions, lead the conversation, and be open about what you want to achieve. The more you engage in these discussions, the more visibility you’ll gain, helping you align your work with the company’s goals. 

You've got this!

FAQs: Skip Level Meeting

FAQ 1: Who initiates skip-level meetings?

Either the employee or the skip manager can initiate skip-level meetings. This is a great opportunity for employees to take the initiative in fostering communication and collaboration within the organization.

FAQ 2: What can you expect during skip-level meetings?

Expect an open dialogue that encourages sharing insights and feelings. It's an excellent chance to discuss your work, ask questions, and better understand the company's goals and strategies.

FAQ 3: How should I prepare for a skip-level meeting as a product manager?

Preparation is crucial! As a product manager, outline key topics and questions you want to address. Using product managers templates can help ensure a focused discussion that maximizes the value of your time with the skip manager.

FAQ 4: What questions should I ask in a skip-level meeting?‍

Consider asking questions that align your work with the company's objectives, such as current focus areas or feedback on your projects. This demonstrates your commitment to contributing meaningfully to the organization.

FAQ 5: How often should skip-level meetings occur?‍

Aim for skip-level meetings at least once every 45 days. This frequency allows for regular updates and alignment while respecting your and your skip manager's time.