How to Convince Yourself “I Can Do This” with Electric AI’s Tara Goldman
If you speak to Tara Goldman, chances are, you will immediately get the sense that she is a rockstar in everything she does. She is quick, poised, and extremely personable — all qualities that have landed her product roles with several notable companies, including College Board, WW, General Assembly, and now Electric. On top of it all, she’s a founding member of Chief, a private network focused on connecting and supporting women leaders. However, even with all her experience and seeming self-confidence, Tara will be the first person to tell you that she is no stranger to feeling insecure. In this article, Tara shares a recent experience she had grappling with imposter syndrome and explains how company culture and EQ can help overcome feelings of self-doubt.
On embracing change (even when it scares you)
In 2010, after working in digital agencies focused on the pharmaceutical industry for several years, Tara decided it was time to make a change: “I really wanted to focus on building the products that a company truly needs. Not just handing off projects to a client and looking for the next sale, but owning it end to end and beyond.” She ended up going in house with The College Board rising quickly to become its Senior Director of Product Management.
College Board was more than just Tara’s first job in product, it was also where she met her work family. “We just had this way of working together that clicked,” she said. In fact, they all continued working together after College Board, at WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and General Assembly. “We were fixers and scalers. We’d come into a company, we’d see what needed to be done, we’d build out our teams, we’d move on and do it again. We had a joke — “Should we just do this as a consultancy?’”
While in advertising and product management, Tara also worked with her manager-turned-mentor. “I had worked with my former manager for almost a decade across four companies in different roles. We had established a really good working relationship,” she said. “I would say he taught me everything I know — how to lead teams, how to manage them, how to build them, how to transition people out. He helped me grow from what I had always been strong in — tactical operations — and start to build out my strategic skillset.”
In October 2019, Tara decided to leave her latest job at General Assembly. However, this move was a little more difficult than the others, as she wasn’t just leaving behind a job. “For me, it was personal as well as professional, and I think that was the hardest thing — leaving the people I trusted and worked with for many, many years. It was a period of self-doubt and imposter syndrome coupled with grief, I would say.”
“Imposter syndrome is something where you need this external validation. Over time I’ve tried to reduce my dependence on it, but it’s still there.”
Throughout the transition, Tara began second-guessing herself. “I was removing my safety net. For the majority of roles I attained, I had worked with my former manager. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Did I get the job because I earned it outright, or did I get the job because he wanted me to work there?’ I started asking myself, ‘Can I do this 100 percent on my own for the first time?’”
Even with her friends and family’s support, Tara knew the move was something she had to do herself. “It was just something I had to go through. Navigate all the processes, the presentations, the tasks, and just prove to myself that I could do it.” And how did she fair? “I ended up with three offers, and only at that point did I realize, ‘Oh, alright, I guess I can do this.’” This feeling is all too common, especially among women. “Imposter syndrome is something where you need this external validation. Over time I’ve tried to reduce my dependence on it, but it’s still there.”
On coping with imposter syndrome
While leaving General Assembly may have been Tara’s most recent experience with imposter syndrome, it certainly wasn’t her first. “I’ve gotten feedback that I come in strong and confident in interviews, but it doesn’t always feel that way to me,” she said. Tara says it’s gotten easier with time, experience, and perspective. “It was harder earlier in my career. I had a lot of imposter syndrome and self-doubt, particularly around switching industries, and the impact it might have on my career path.”
“At the end of the day, for PMs, nothing replaces the fact that you have to talk to your customers. Nothing replaces the fact that you have to make sure that you measure what you do. And that doesn’t matter what industry you are in.”
Instead of getting hung up on what you don’t know about a role or industry, Tara suggests shifting the focus to what you do bring to the table.“All that stuff, all that industry-specific expertise, that’s the easy stuff you can pick up on, in my opinion,” she said. “I think the focus should be on: How can you relay that you can do the job, regardless of the industry?” This means honing in on what your transferable skills are. “At the end of the day, for PMs, nothing replaces the fact that you have to talk to your customers. Nothing replaces the fact that you have to make sure that you measure what you do. And that doesn’t matter what industry you are in.” (BONUS: More of Tara’s tips for coping with imposter syndrome below!)
On finding places and people that lift you up
Unsurprisingly, after leaving General Assembly, Tara ended up jumping into yet another industry, Information Technology, now working as the VP of Product for Electric.ai. “I was not looking to get into IT. But meeting Ryan Denehy, CEO, and Jamie Coakley, VP People, at a product leadership event turned serendipitous. Throughout the process, there were just some key signals to me that Electric was something I couldn’t walk away from.” Tara explains. “Specifically, the EQ across the team was something I couldn’t ignore. Don’t get me wrong; people I spoke with at other target companies understood and valued EQ. However, there was this special chemistry of human interaction and a focus on EQ across the board at Electric — with every executive and every person in product and engineering I spoke with — now that is rare.”
“I ask very specific questions, particularly about company culture, because, as a PM, you are the glue that is holding the entire organization together. If everyone is not collaborating, you’re going to have a problem on day one.”
For those who struggle with feelings of imposter syndrome, working at a company with a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture can help build up confidence. “During interviews, I ask very specific questions, particularly about company culture, because, as a PM, you are the glue that is holding the entire organization together. If everyone is not collaborating, you’re going to have a problem on day one.” Of course, you can’t just ask HR, “Do people like working here?”. You have to craft your questions in a way that will elicit responses that speak to company culture and collaboration.
“I like to ask questions that tell me about certain projects or initiatives and how they went to help me pick up on little threads of how people work together,” Tara says. “An example would be asking about a recent highly cross-function project that the team took on. How did it go? What was the impact? Were there any lessons learned? As a small example, if there were no lessons learned, are they reflecting on what they could do better? Are they having the tough conversations required to build a growth-stage startup?.”
Asking questions to gauge how a company responds to external change is also essential. Many candidates tend to ask Tara about how Electric led the company through COVID, Black Lives Matter, and the election.“This year has been a total dumpster fire, and I think you can tell a lot about a company and the leadership’s EQ based on how they respond during times of crisis.” During difficult times, you want people around you can trust and rely on. “Everything runs smoothly when things are going well, but you see people’s true colors when things go south. How do they lead? How do they behave in times of pressure? That’s really indicative of a company’s culture and something you’d want to know before joining.”
When interviewing for new jobs, you typically get asked the question, “So, why do you want to work here? What interests you about [company]” After quadrupling her team in 2020, Tara has gotten the same question asked of her and suggests candidates ask interviewers the same question. “You can tell when someone is being authentic versus when they are giving you some canned response.” Tara’s answer? “For me, it’s all about the people I work with. Your coworkers are the people you are going to be around for the majority of your life — you better enjoy it.” Oftentimes, as Tara experienced, your colleagues become more than just the people you talk shop with in meetings, or now, on Zoom. “When I doubt myself, my coworkers remind me that “I CAN do this” and knowing I have support in my corner every day makes all the difference.”
