Meet the Team: Q&A with Head of Product, Colin McConville

As Head of Product, Colin McConville oversees the intersection of technology, design, and business while leading a powerhouse team. We spoke with Colin to learn more about his unique management style and journey to becoming a product leader.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

C: Matt Damon!

Are you a dog or cat person?

C: I am 100% a dog person. I have no interest in cats.

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, what would they be and why?

C: Twitter, YouTube, Safari. Between those three, I can pretty much do anything.

What fictional place would you want to visit most?

C: Pandora from Avatar, but it doesn’t sound like a nice place to go. I may get eaten 😳

What’s one hobby that you’d like to get into?

C: I wish I could get back into skiing, which I did when I was younger. Also, trying to podcast with friends about movies and games.

Where do you want to travel the most?

C: I want to do the two week epics in Italy! With a particular emphasis on Florence and Tuscany.

What’s your favorite family tradition?

C: My family always did a Secret Santa ornament exchange, which started off fairly friendly, where you would buy an ornament that represented that person’s year. Then people started making their own ornaments and getting very elaborate. It became highly competitive to the point where we burned out on the tradition because the pressure and time commitment got to be too much. It was a fun period for sure. At one point, my dad started chiseling things from wood (which he doesn’t know how to do) to create an ornament. I made an ornament in Photoshop and made it look like fake magazines. It just got out of hand.

How would you describe our company culture?

C: We have a super collaborative culture that is largely egoless. Everyone is eager to help each other. There are elements to the growth mindset that we always talk about, and no one ever says “That’s not my job.” Our whole team is committed to helping each other learn, grow, and be successful. You’ve just got a lot of smart people working hard and nicely with each other.

What do you like the most about Dojo’s company culture?

C: Everyone's default posture of leaning in to support each other and figure things out.

Tell us about your career trajectory. What did you study in school? How did you end up in Product Management?

C: I was an Economics major and didn’t know what I wanted to do. All I knew was that my dad was in Business Operations. I went to school and there wasn’t a business major, so I studied Econ with a minor in Business Strategy. Once I got out of school, I ended up in a phone sales job in DC for six months before I went to lunch with my sister’s friend. The company she worked at built websites for social causes and grassroots efforts. I got an interview for the company, and I fell into product work. I worked with different initiatives to build their online presence on Facebook and Twitter. So I became involved in the design and implementation of the websites. I worked with designers and engineers and had the opportunity to learn from them. It was a great first job, not including the sales role. The company grew and I was able to step into more projects. I worked at Kargo for six years and built a product team. Then I found my way to Dojo and wanted to take everything I learned to a business with a ton of potential. Looking back, early in my career I didn’t even know the term Product Management, but it encapsulates everything that I love.

What do you think makes a successful Head of Product?

C: The intersection of technology, design, and business. Understanding how they all play together and having a strong sense of business strategy. Also, to properly enable a team to do their best work.

Three words to describe your management style? Three words your team would use?

C: Down to earth.

How do you measure success for your team members?

C: Optimally, the best measure of success is the outcome. As a startup, we are still trying to figure out product-market fit. Seeing my team members grow, produce better work, and take on projects for their success. The goal is to create a super valuable company.

What made you decide to join DojoMojo?

C: The company lined up super well with my fairly clear goals of where I wanted to look next after Kargo. I was very eager to join a SaaS company. I have a real passion for front-end design and UX design. My previous job had limited opportunities for me to work on those types of projects. Specifically, the leadership team and the Product team inspired and scared me to the right degrees, and I knew they would push me to be a better version of myself. Everyone was super awesome and smart, which built a lot of faith.

What do you like most about working for DojoMojo?

C: I am eager for everything to click into place for DojoMojo and now especially for Proxima. I’m ready for our problems to be champagne problems! It’s very energizing and something I truly enjoy.

What are you most passionate about in your position?

C: Giving the team opportunities to try new things.

What excites you most about the company’s future?

C: Going back to everything clicking into place – To achieve product-market fit and the thrill of successfully starting to gain momentum as a young business.