Hi! I’ve been a TPM for non-FAANG big tech companies for about four years with experience in technical consulting prior to that.
I have recently gotten feedback that I’m too nice and lack authority in a room. Which is likely true…when real disagreement occurs I tend to table it in the meeting and try to resolve after. I’m very friendly and relatively soft spoken, and I only push on things that I feel are absolutely necessary and allow flexibility with my programs and deadlines since I’m on internal initiatives and they have product work that takes priority frequently. All of this to say - I’m not a good fit at big tech. I don’t think I’d ever get leaderships respect, and I don’t want to become someone I’m not. I like taking the collaborative approach.
The things I love about the job and what I want in my next are thinking about process automation. I’m familiar with agentic workflows and process design and have built many automated systems in large companies that eliminate bottlenecks and reduce manual work, relating to triage, security, general reporting, release readiness, and accessibility. I like being curious about the experience of the process for everyone involved and writing the requirements for the new system.
What are good roles to transition to when you’re not deemed good enough at the “influence without authority” part of technical program management, but you like the process parts?