Trailblazing Women in Product: Orly Stern on Global Leadership and Bold Career Moves

Introduction to Orly Stern and Her Journey

Productside | 00:02.638–00:30.346

Hi everyone, I’m Nicole Tisch, your host of our segment, Trailblazing Women in Product Management. Today our guest is Orly Stern, former Vice President of Product Management and recently promoted General Manager of Business Applications at Payoneer. I’m very excited to have her with us today, sharing her insights and experiences from the world of product management. So welcome Orly.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 00:30.346–00:35.566

Hi Nicole, I’m thrilled to be here. Thank you for hosting me today.

Productside | 00:35.566–00:42.464

Well, first off, congratulations on your recent promotion. That’s very exciting.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 00:42.464–00:44.878

Thank very much, yeah, definitely is.

Productside | 00:44.878–00:53.93

So let’s talk sort of from the beginning how this all got started and how did you get into product management?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 00:53.93–01:09.358

So actually, I really like this question because I think that product management is very diverse and the way to get product management is very different and each one has its own unique story about how we got to product management. My case was not different, was very not straightforward, let’s say. And it started like 16 years ago. I was very young, I worked for the biggest bank in Israel.

Productside | 01:09.358–01:21.424

That was true.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 01:21.424–02:59.722

and I worked for the technology division. I started in data and then moved to development and also led some engineering teams. And I felt like something is missing, something is wrong. And I felt like I need more action. And I decided, I was very bold, I think, and decided to reach out to one of the executives in the bank. And he was leading the most innovative areas and the most exciting stuff. And I just sent him an email saying that I want to meet him. And fortunately, he said yes, and we met. And I told him, listen, I just want to work with you. I want to learn from you as a leader. And two days later, he called me and said, do you know what product management means? And I was like, 16 years ago, which was not very unknown term or profession. And I was. No, I don’t know, but I will learn. And to make this long story short, I got the role of not being given an IC in product management, but actually starting from a leadership role in product management, leading all the digital products in the bank and a group of product managers. And I think this was a critical point in my career path. And maybe like an insight from this is like a takeaway is, you know, being bold and ask like you have the know, so ask and someone would say, it’s okay. So this is my takeaway from, you know, how I started.

Productside | 02:59.722–03:23.368

I love that. That is incredibly bold and brave of you and it really paid off and it sounds like you found quite an advocate in that journey as well. So can you share about some product management challenges perhaps that you have overcome in the past couple of years in this journey?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 03:23.368–05:35.724

Yeah, I think that there are so many, know, I have to pick one, but I think that the most challenging thing and I had this like in different cases in different companies is actually owning the product that had failed like several times and you have to do something with it. So one example is from my current company. When I’ve joined the company, I got the ownership of product that was very critical to the company and failed several times. So in terms of trying to improve it, and there was lots of frustration both from the customer point of view and also internally in the company. So actually I got a product that I wasn’t sure what to do with and a team that was exhausted from previous attempts to improve this. and also a very frustrated management and stakeholders internally. like the end of the story is good, like we succeeded in launching this product. The results are not there yet, but we are like rolling this out as we speak. But I think that few things that worked for me and maybe I can share with the listeners are first of all, set clear direction. Like be very clear and set expectations about what you can achieve and what you cannot achieve. I wanna work with data and also collect like lesson learned from previous attempts from people. First, know, to really learn but also to let them kind of ventilate and share their experience. And then I think, you know, involve and collaborate with all the relevant stakeholders from the get-go, from the beginning and not, you know, down the road. and work in like, we talk a lot about like agile, know, really work in small chance of value, increments of value, because organizations in these cases, they don’t really have the patience. So you have to prove that you’re on the right path and know, wins down the road. Actually, like early on in the process. And I think that the last and maybe not least, because this is critical.

Overcoming Product Management Challenges

Productside | 05:35.724–05:47.5

Yes.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 05:47.5–06:12.748

is like believe in yourself, believe in the way that you are in the journey, that you are taking the product and the team. Lots of noises, lots of comments and skeptical people, but you have to really believe that what you are doing is the right thing and the right way. So yeah, it worked for me in several cases and it’s always challenging.

Aligning with Stakeholders in Product Management

Productside | 06:12.748–06:30.56

Yes, that’s great. I love how you really lean on those stakeholders and bringing everyone in early along in your process. Can you talk a little bit about how exactly you do that? How do you align with the stakeholders you’re working with?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 06:30.56–07:14.126

So I think that one technique that I use a lot and I really like is bringing everyone into the same room, having this on-site with all the relevant stakeholders to kind of hear from everyone to define together the targets and the goals that we are trying to achieve. And then to talk about different ways to get there. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we will agree on the specific path or the way to execute. but at least some kind of alignment of where we start, where we wanna get to, and then to kind of update in know, reoccurring way on the.

Productside | 07:14.126–07:32.084

That’s great. especially that on site, I know it’s not always possible nowadays, but there really is some synergy that happens when you get folks in the room and can talk through, right? The things that you agree on and those things that maybe you don’t agree on, but.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 07:32.084–07:38.048

Yeah, definitely. So sometimes you don’t really have a choice and you have to do it remotely, which is less good, but it’s also an option. And if we can meet at some of our locations globally, it’s always the best.

Productside | 07:38.048–07:48.558

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Productside | 07:48.558–08:12.916

For sure, I agree. I know too, Orly, that you have such experience globally working with so many different companies and cultures with that international experience. Can you share more about what you really love about working with such global enterprises and different cultures in your line of work?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 08:12.916–10:17.87

Yeah, sure. So actually I started my career and for many years I worked for local companies. I am based in Israel and I worked for the local industry. And when I moved to kind of global tech companies, I kind of fell in love in this. I think that it creates some, know, adds some layers of complexity and challenges that creates more interest for me. in two different ways. So first of all, the organization itself. When you work in a local industry, you work with the same employees and teams and management and customers and the ecosystem is around the same culture. But when you work in a global company, so you have so many diverse behaviors and… cultures and you know, have barriers of various or your language and so on and to build, you know, strong relationships and trust and strong teams in this kind of environment, it’s actually a challenge, but it’s also very rewarding. So this is one aspect of this. The other one is actually the customers. So especially in product management, when you work on products that actually cater different customers around the globe, this is super exciting. And you see different needs from different customers in different locations. So the common ground is there, but you still need to adjust and to look at the product to really answer their needs. just recently I visited China. We have a site in China and we have a big customer base there. And I met some customers and for me, it was like mind blowing to really meet the customers and to see how they use our products and to see how much it differ from customers that we have in Latam or in Europe and to really be able to localize to their needs. Sometimes it’s just, you know, content, but sometimes those are like different features or integrations that we need to pay attention to. So I really like

The Joy of Global Product Management

Productside | 10:17.87–10:33.708

Mmm.

Productside | 10:33.708–11:19.262

Yes, that’s so interesting how you get to tap into that voice of the customer and how that really is very different globally. Your customers around the world are really going to have different needs and features or not just the content like you’re saying, but how you can cater to those customers around the globe. That’s really fascinating too. It sounds like an interest and the tension there, right? There’s a challenge and an interest. That’s great. Can you share anything, maybe is there an exciting story about kind of translating some features for a global audience? Like how did that play out?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 11:19.262–12:38.766

Yeah, so when I was at Wix, I was in charge of the area of premium services, which is actually the business model of the company in taking users from free users to paying users to becoming paying users. And one part of this product was the checkout page. And to see how can we change with small changes of content or different payment methods. really serve customers in different regions. So in Brazil, there are specific payment methods that you need to support to really push users to use our products and to become premium users. Or in Japan, you have to present the address field in a specific way that works for them. And when you make these small tricks, sometimes those are small tricks, but sometimes bigger features that you need to work on, you really see how can you really serve your customers and create more value for them, but also help the company move the needle in the right direction. So lots of great stories from this area. Whenever it comes to pricing page and the purchase flow and also the checkout page and so on. And I have like different other stories.

Translating Features for a Global Audience

Productside | 12:38.766–13:25.426

That’s so great. It’s just those minor components that make obviously such a big difference to your global audience and your customers around the world. So that’s great that you can really change the features as needed. I wanted to go back to something you had mentioned in the beginning of your journey, Orly, how you… really right away got to be in a position of leadership and managing other product managers and teams. So that’s an exciting component of your journey. And I’d love to hear more about your passion for teams and what it really takes to build strong product management teams.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 13:25.426–15:05.23

Yeah, so leadership is definitely one of my passions. So I have like the product management that I really love, but also like leadership roles and leadership in general. And I think it’s like an opportunity to really impact on like people’s career and to help them grow. And when I look on like leadership, I think, you know, it’s all about people. It starts and ends with people. And being a leader means that it’s not just hiring individuals, it’s actually building strong teams that will work well together and create this glue between them. So maybe some points that I would highlight in leadership. First of all, is the hiring part is the leader role in my opinion. So of course there is the HR and the… recruitment team, but I think as leaders, we have to take responsibility on the hiring, like making sure that we hire the right people for the job and for the team DNA that we are trying actually to build and to retain. Second point that I would mention is actually to build diverse teams. Each individual should have, you know, is unique value and expertise. and skills for the team that you’re trying to build, but together they have to build something that will work in the right way. So you want to keep this diversity within the team. Another point will be maybe feedback, which is a critical tool as a leader. And I think it’s a gift that you can really give to your employees. And avoiding feedback is a bad thing.

Building Strong Product Management Teams

Productside | 15:05.23–15:19.176

Mmm.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 15:19.176–15:22.505

not always easy to provide feedback, but I really think that we don’t want someone to understand that he was scrolling this app without knowing it in real time, and just to find out about this later on when it’s too late. And from the positive side, I would say this is the way to help people grow, to focus on their strengths and to provide them their feedback, this feedback,

Productside | 15:22.505–15:48.424

you

Orly Stern Izhaki | 15:48.424–15:59.437

and also to highlight and spotlight the things that they need to work on, but also to create the environment to work on this. So it’s not about like, you know, once a year, twice a year, feedback. It’s actually an ongoing thing that you have to work on and to do it in real, when it’s still relevant, the person will understand what you’re talking about. And it’s also something that you can work on and, you know, provide this call to action.

Productside | 15:59.437–16:06.126

Hmm.

Productside | 16:06.126–16:18.336

you

Orly Stern Izhaki | 16:18.336–16:45.678

So this is key in my opinion, and one of the most important things in leadership. And of course, to lead by example. It’s not enough, know, just, you know, to be the manager and say what to do. No, you have to work the talk and you roll up your sleeves and to work with your team. And when you talk about standards, present this standard, like be the standard that you want them to follow.

Productside | 16:45.678–16:48.522

Hmm.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 16:48.522–16:48.77

So this is my two cents on leadership.

Productside | 16:48.77–16:55.106

Yes.

Productside | 16:55.106–17:15.712

No, that’s great. Such a strong point about the modeling, what you want to see as well. And your feedback, I love that point as well. Is that something you tend to conduct in one-on-ones with your team members? Or how do you go about delivering feedback or receiving feedback?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 17:15.712–17:53.998

Yeah, so I think, and it’s a good point actually, because feedback is like bi-directional. So I’m expecting to get feedback from IT members as well. I want to improve my leadership skills and the way that I operate. I do it like, yeah, as part of one-on-ones meeting and sometimes it requires a specific meeting for the sense of the feedback itself. But I try to keep it close to the event or some, you know, If I have like few insights that I want to share with the person, so I’m collecting them, but I’m trying not to wait too long. So it will be, you know, still up to date.

Advice for Women in Product Management

Productside | 17:53.998–18:25.322

That’s great. Perfect. And now when you’re thinking about your teams, right? I love how you mentioned hiring for the diversity and strength of your team as a whole. I want to focus now on women in product management. This segment, one purpose we have is really to attract more women into the discipline of product management. So do you have any advice specific to women who might be considering? product management as a career.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 18:25.322–20:33.422

Yeah, so I think that my advice would go for, you know, both like women and men. And for women, I would say, you know, just be confident and take a seat at the table. And like my story a few years ago that I was bold enough to go to this executive and ask for a role, like do it. The advice that I would give for both, I think like in product management, especially if people want to get to, you know, leadership roles later on. to really establish your expertise and like the profession itself. So many times people jumping ahead and you know, they all want to become leaders very fast without having enough time in the role itself in the profession of product management. And as I mentioned before, like this is how I started my career. And it was challenging, you know, to really be able to provide value to my team members when I didn’t do this role before. Therefore, I took a step back and I took an icy role later on in my career to do this like, it’s on job in product management and to become much more product manager and to sharpen my skills. And then back to when I came back to managerial roles, I felt like more confident and I can like really bring value to those, to these employees. And this is my advice, like really take the time to learn product management. It’s a very wide world, you know, a profession, very different from company to company, from product to product. So I would really recommend to try, you know, leading different products, maybe under different managers, because I guess, you know, the approach will be very different and you can learn a lot from this and to kind of mix and match and find like what works for you. So not necessarily different companies, but at least trying different products. Some of them are like consumer side products, some maybe more technical, AI driven, just to sense the different aspects and to kind of create a strong holistic view on product management. So this is my advice.

Key Skills for Product Management Candidates

Productside | 20:33.422–20:48.376

you

Productside | 20:48.376–21:01.182

Yes, let’s tap into the skills that you’re referring to. What are some skills that you really look for when you are interviewing and adding to your team? What skills do you like to see?

Orly Stern Izhaki | 21:01.182–21:08.078

Yeah, so I think that first of all, it’s maybe very soft, but it’s the energy this person brings to the interview because this is his ability to later on engage stakeholders and to make people excited about the vision that he’s trying to really drive. So this is one kind of skill, but something in his personality that I’m looking for.

Productside | 21:08.078–21:30.71

Mmm.

Productside | 21:30.71–21:30.976

sure.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 21:30.976–22:09.582

Our second thing is really to be able to see the essence of things and to avoid kind of be able to clean noises and to focus on what matters. And it’s even the way that they present during the interview, like what they choose to talk about and what’s not. And then I would say customer centric. So when I’m talking with a candidate and It doesn’t really talk about, you know, other customers, what they need, but just about the company and maybe just the product or technology, this is not enough. You have to be passionate about, you know, solving problems and pain points for customers. So I, are lots others, but I would focus on.

Productside | 22:09.582–22:18.829

Mmm.

Productside | 22:18.829–22:22.798

Right.

Productside | 22:22.798–22:47.284

That’s great advice because it really does, there’s so much that you can learn about a candidate just in that interview process. Like you’re saying that energy and what they choose to focus on and certainly product management is such a customer centric discipline that you want to make sure that that is your candidates are passionate about customers as well.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 22:47.284–22:48.51

I’ll do it next week.

Productside | 22:48.51–22:56.128

That’s fantastic. tell me, Orly, there anything else that you would like to share with our audience today?

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Orly Stern Izhaki | 22:56.128–23:52.48

Just maybe to say like product management, I think this is like the best profession ever. This is why I chose this. And even as a general manager, our leading business units that I’m doing today and did also before, I think it has lots of, there’s a flavor of product management. I think it’s like really be able to oversee customers their problems, the market, the competition, strategy, business aspects, like commercial aspects, and also technology. So it’s great being able to oversee everything and to bring ideas into something that is real. And it’s a journey, a very challenging one, but a very exciting one.

Productside | 23:52.48–23:59.136

I it. And I love your bold entry into product management. That’s very exciting.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 23:59.136–24:06.06

Yeah, I’m glad that I sent this email to the same executive back then, 16 years ago.

Productside | 24:06.06–24:12.0

It’s made such a difference in the trajectory of your career path, it sounds like.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 24:12.0–24:19.15

Yeah, yeah, you can never know how it would go, you know, differently, but yeah, I’m definitely happy about that.

Productside | 24:19.15–24:27.22

For sure. Well, thank you so much Orly for being with us today and for sharing your product management journey.

Orly Stern Izhaki | 24:27.22–24:29.422

Thank you very much for having me. It was a pleasure.

Productside | 24:29.422–24:29.422

Great. Well, thank you to our listeners as well for tuning in. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, don’t forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more empowering stories from the world of product management. Until next time, I’m Nicole Tisch and this is Productside Stories.