Let’s get one thing out of the way: you don’t need a PhD in statistics to run effective, data-informed People Operations. But you do need to stop hiding behind “I’m not a numbers person.”

I always knew that I am entering my career field with a purpose of reaching a leadership position. The road to that goal was paved with many learning. Happy to give you the lessons as a gift to boost your career growth.

I’ve been in the People field long enough to see how the function often gets stuck in the “order taker” role—processing requests, running compliance, coordinating training. But if you want to stop being a cost center and start driving real impact, it’s time to adopt the mindset of a product manager.

What business leaders can learn from football coaches.