Learning to lead through project management
Management Engineering student, Mehr Adnan, found her passion for product management through co-op, blending technology, leadership and creativity to shape her future in big tech and content creation.
Drawn to a balance of technology and business, Mehr Adnan (she/her), a third-year Management Engineering student, discovered a passion for product management during a co-op term at PepsiCo. Taking on a leadership role during a manager’s absence showed her how much she enjoys being the connector between teams. Each co-op taught her the value of listening, continuous learning and blending creativity with structure.
Mehr's co-op journey
Work term one: Mehr’s first work term was for LVM Tech as a business development co-ordinator. There she would generate leads for their business-to-business sales.
Work term two: For her second work term, Mehr was a data analyst for PepsiCo. She observed key performance indicators and ensured that everything was running smoothly.
Work term three: Next, Mehr worked for WOLF as a program manager. She gained knowledge of artificial intelligence module boards while managing projects related to their use in aerospace and defense applications.
Work term four: In her fourth work term, Mehr was a product manager at Plusgrade. Her tasks included leading a team, working with developers and sprint planning.
Q&A with Mehr
What drew you to Management Engineering?
“I really liked math and sciences. I’ve always been fascinated by technology and the constant innovation happening in the space. But I didn't really know where I fit into it. When you look at engineering overall, there's so many things you can do.”
“I looked into Management Engineering on the Waterloo website and it gave me a space that wasn't exactly industrial, but it wasn't exactly software. It was the perfect in between. I think it was just a place where I knew I would be able to have the tools to explore a bunch of different things.”
“Industrial engineering was where my brain was wired. But I also wanted to dive into software. Management gave me the best of both worlds.”
How has your interest in product management evolved over your co-op terms?
“It peaked when I was at PepsiCo. I made it a goal to talk to a bunch of different teams because PepsiCo is such a large-scale organization. I remember I was in meetings where they pitch new ideas, like chip flavors. I was thinking, who's coming up with this?”
“I talked to my manager and she told me that typically it's a product manager. I think it’s so interesting to be the person who's looking into market research and consumer data. I think data analytics and data science were something I'm really into and Management Engineering really supports your education in that. But I never had a place to really apply it.”
“I was just really intrigued by the ‘why’. Why is this what we're doing? Product management gives you space for that.”
Can you share a moment during your co-op experiences where you realized that product management was something that you truly enjoyed?
“When I joined my current role, one of the managers for the team I was working with went on vacation for a month and I had to be the face of our product team.”
“When you're in it, I think it was just such a cool experience that developers were reaching out to me to confirm if this what we want and what we’re looking for.”
“That experience really showed me that product is the place where you're able to use your communication skills as well as your technical understanding. It made me realize how much I enjoy owning a product, as in understanding its purpose, improving the user experience and diving into both the business and technical sides.”
“As a product manager, I love being the go-to person: the one people come to with questions, ideas, and challenges, so I can help move things forward.”
How have each of your co-op terms shaped your understanding of what you do and don’t want for your future career?
“I like the flexibility to learn. For my first co-op job, they brought me in for one purpose and one purpose only, which I totally understand. But I think I really enjoy having the ability to sit in different types of meetings and learn from a variety of departments.”
“When I went to PepsiCo, I was able to learn that I enjoy a company that really promotes learning. Continuous learning is something that's really, really important to me and they let me sit in any meeting I was curious about and also join in projects that intrigued me or ones I felt like I could add to it. I also learned that I don't love sitting in front of a computer the entire day, I enjoy interacting with people.”
“In my third co-op at WOLF, I really liked being on the management side of things. I think it was really cool to be the person who's driving the projects and having a higher-level understanding of what's going on. Also being able to help run a project and figure out how you can optimize it in a very efficient way.”
“My fourth co-op also gave me so many opportunities to learn from my colleagues. I think just a place that really supports me learning and trying new things is very important. I would say the company I work at right now, they're so amazing and I love working with my team. They really enforce a good work culture, which is a big driver of what makes me happy at work.”
What have you learned about leadership and collaboration in co-op?
“Something big I learned was when I think of leadership or even sometimes collaboration, the first thing I think of is speaking. But from my experience, 90% of what makes a good leader or collaborator is listening.”
“At PepsiCo, when I was building the dashboard, I was working with one of the directors who worked more on the strategic side of things. We struggled to collaborate on ideas and vision.”
“There was a moment in that process where I realized, when you're trying to collaborate and work with people, it's not about getting my point across, it's about hearing them out.”
“Once I took that step back and I was hearing them out, I was able to understand what they were saying and their concerns. From that I could see how I can re-word what I’m trying to say to answer them, rather than just trying to get my point across. We were able to figure that out and it was amazing moving forward.”
How do you balance creativity with structure when you’re managing or contributing to a project?
“I’m currently working on a hackathon for my co-op. We’re coming up with a project from scratch in four days. When I approach a project like this, it’s all about getting the bare bones down. Making note of the most important features of what you’re trying to create once you understand the purpose of the project.”
“From there it’s important to come up with creative solutions and what things can be added. Sometimes when you go head-first with creativity, it can really blow the scope out of proportion.”
“With the hackathon, we had this huge idea, but we only had four days. We went into day two and realized it was not happening. We had to rescope everything.”
“It's important to start off with structure, but it's also just as important to bring in creativity once you have the foundation laid down.”
What’s next for you?
“I would say I'm really enjoying being a product manager on a software team. I would love to dive a little more into big tech and be a product manager on that and work on even more impactful projects overall.”
“I would also like to lead big initiatives or work for companies whose products I use because I think it's so much more interesting when you're working on things that you use yourself. I would love to continue in my little bubble of product within tech.”
“I also really want to take social media a little more seriously. I hit 100,000 followers on TikTok this week, it was a milestone for me. I signed with a talent agency last week as well. With my Instagram especially, I think a lot of my videos that performed well were about Waterloo. I really want to make videos about how to navigate co-op in school because so many people have so many questions.”
“My goal for this year is to make content around that and help ease people into university and co-op. I feel like no one really talks about what to do in your first month as a co-op student. I want to share my experience for other students to know what to do.”
Follow me!
Follow me on TikTok and Instagram @mehrdnan!