From Process Engineer to Product Veteran: Insights from Joel Polanco of Intel

Welcome back to another episode of The Inflection Podcast. Our lives are shaped by various turning points that can significantly change our paths. We dive into these pivotal moments in the lives and careers of respected leaders to provide actionable insights for those seeking more happiness, success, and fulfillment. I am your host, Anebi Agbo. Let’s dive in. Our guest this month is Joel Polanco, Segment Manager of the Commercial Gaming Vertical at Intel. Join us as Joel shares his journey from a process engineer to a product manager, touching on his insights about AI, which he believes will enhance jobs by automating tasks. He offers advice on building successful products, collaborating with customers, and understanding stakeholder needs. Joel also highlights the value of having diverse interests, embracing fear, and continuously upskilling to stay relevant in product management.

Let’s dive in.

Our guest this month is Joel Polanco, Segment Manager of the Commercial Gaming Vertical at Intel. Join us as Joel shares his journey from a process engineer to a product manager, touching on his insights about AI, which he believes will enhance jobs by automating tasks. He offers advice on building successful products, collaborating with customers, and understanding stakeholder needs. Joel also highlights the value of having diverse interests, embracing fear, and continuously upskilling to stay relevant in product management.

Joel is the segment manager in the Network and Edge Group at Intel, where he has defined a business strategy for two markets: commercial gaming and office automation. He also runs a customer discovery consultancy and advises early-stage startups on business model generation and market validation through customer interviews and early experimentation.

He previously managed a product marketing team at Intel and produced two podcasts, "To the Edge and Beyond" and "Health and Life Sciences at the Edge." He had the opportunity to help grow the careers of several product marketers who have gone on to start their own businesses or grow into larger roles at Intel.

Before that, Joel was a senior product manager in the Internet of Things Group at Intel, where he built an RFID Sensor Platform that drove fast and efficient inventory monitoring in several industries, including Retail, QSR, and Manufacturing. Our product was awarded "Design Win of the Year in 2020" for enabling > $10M in edge server design wins at large enterprise customers.

After 15 years of working in a large tech company, Joel receives many questions about products, strategy, and career. So, in 2021, he started writing and advising in his spare time. Since then,he has worked with over a dozen individuals and companies on various topics. He enjoys talking about customer discovery, technology, product management, and personal growth.

Episode Highlights

00:00 - Introduction to Joel Polanco's career journey
05:23 - Joel's perspective on AI
09:12 - Influential anecdotes and resources in Joel's product career
14:09 - Building products for customer needs
19:35 - Advice for aspiring product managers
24:07 - Embracing a "slash career" and making small bets
29:19 - Overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing fear
34:02 - Being grateful for advancements and pursuing new possibilities

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