Sharing notes from a coaching conversation with a talented Director of Product in India.

They were an early employee, grew with the business and built a strong track record. The US leadership approached them about stepping into a VP Operations/India Site Leader role.

No direct product or engineering ownership, but through dotted lines. This was also triggered by a leadership transition in the company.

Their immediate reaction: “This takes me away from my Product path. And what if I can’t come back to Product?”

At some point, career decisions stop being about function and start being about scope.

The company is not asking you: “Do you want to do operations?”

Instead you are being asked: “Will you operate at a broader level of responsibility when the company needs it?”

A few things we discussed.

1. This is not just a role change. It is “escape velocity”. It is an orbit change.

Senior leadership is seeing potential that goes beyond your current functional expertise. They are making a bet on you to operate at the next level.

The question shouldn’t be: “Does this deviate from my current path?” It’s: “Do I want to operate at this level of scope?”

2. There is a tendency to think that we are leaving our craft behind. Yes, there is a shift in the nature of the job. It is less building within a function, and more coordination across functions.

Product expertise doesn’t become irrelevant. It becomes more valuable. This is stakeholder management at scale.

3. “Can I come back to Product?” is not the right question. You probably can.

But the more useful question is: “Does this narrow or expand my scope?”

If this goes well, you are no longer seen as a functional leader. You are seen as someone who can run a part of the business.

4. Impostor syndrome will be there. This is the tax we all pay for growth. Everyone feels it.

However, your senior leadership wouldn’t be offering this if they didn’t see in you what you might not yet see in yourself. They want you to succeed. They see you as someone who can drive stability, alignment, and execution in times of change.

4. Leadership transitions at this level require intentional development, and not on-the-job learning.

I also urged them to negotiate for professional executive coaching support.

Careers are rarely linear. Roles that look like detours can build judgement required to lead at a different scale. This doesn’t mean we say yes to everything. Context matters.

If we only optimize for staying on the predictable path, we might miss on experiences that actually change the trajectory.

Curious how others have navigated similar transitions, from functional to broader scope roles.

What do you think? Share your thoughts on this post on LinkedIn.