In a fast-moving industry where confidence and clarity matter, Tahjan Henry encourages women to trust their voice, share their ideas boldly, and lead with the belief that their perspective can drive real impact.

In this edition of our Women in Leadership series, Tahjan Henry, Product Manager at CMT, shares her journey into product management, how she navigates the balance between work and life, and her advice for staying grounded and true to yourself along the way.

Our conversation has been edited for brevity.

CMT: Hi Tahjan. Thanks so much for joining me today. To start off, how did you get to where you are in your career? 

Tahjan: I actually thought I was always going to become an engineer. When I was younger, I was very fascinated by careers in STEM, and it was actually because I was really good at math. My math teacher told me one day, “You should consider engineering.” I had no idea what that was at the time. So, after doing my research, I decided to study software engineering in high school. I found a passion for electrical engineering there.

So I was like, you know what, in college, I’m going to do computer engineering. I was actually going to NYU, where they had a curriculum that focused more on entrepreneurship, problem-solving skills, and building a product from zero to one. I had the chance to do my senior design project, where I actually built a product from zero to one. I did the user research, looked into the product market, and developed a working prototype — and I really enjoyed the whole process.

When I was looking for roles at CMT, I had the opportunity to talk to different people in different departments, and I really connected with the head of product management at the time. A lot of the things she was doing related to what I had done for my senior design project. So it just kind of made sense, and that’s how I started my journey about four years ago. I don’t regret it, and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

CMT: As a Product Manager, what does your day-to-day look like?

Tahjan: It’s really different every day. My biggest goal is figuring out how I can deliver impact for the business. So, every day I get up thinking about how I can deliver on that goal, whether that’s delivering features that help grow our user base and grow our customer base.

To start off, I usually sync with engineers daily to make sure we’re making progress, whether that’s building new features or running A/B tests that will deliver us insights into features we want customers to adopt. I’m also making sure our new services and capabilities are up to par.

Then I start thinking about new messaging ideas that could help improve the funnel and inform our product roadmap.

Lastly, there are messaging best practices we want customers to adopt. So I’m thinking about how I can sync with customer success, sales, and people on the business side to help drive that adoption.

In addition to being a product manager, I also serve as a product owner, so I’m considered the SME in messaging. I get questions on messaging campaigns, compliance, and a bunch of different things I’m working on day-to-day.

CMT: What is your favorite part about your job?

Tahjan: I actually love collaborating with people and influencing people. One thing about being a product manager is that it’s really important to launch and land a product. You feel this overall success when things actually work out — when people are using your product, and you’re hearing success stories. It’s even more rewarding when people internally are excited about driving adoption of your feature, especially when you’re collaborating with customers on building new campaigns or ideas.

I love talking to customers and hearing how excited they are to use the product. It makes me feel like I’m having an impact. It makes me feel that we’re successful on delivering impact to both the business and our customers. That part honestly makes me really happy.

CMT: What are some ways you support and uplift other women in your industry?

Tahjan: Outside of being a product manager, I’m also the chairman of the Black Employee Action Network. I’m always thinking about initiatives we can launch to mentor youth and support students who are just starting their careers. I’m constantly working with our director of diversity on efforts to connect with students at different universities — whether it’s going out to speak with them, bringing them to CMT, and sharing feedback and tips on what they should do to get to where I am and exceed where I am today.

Recently, I worked with our director of diversity to host a lunch with Black women in STEM — students from Yale, MIT, and Harvard. It was really nice to just talk with them. A lot of them had questions like: What are you doing in your career today? How did you know product management was the one? Do you like your job? Things like that. It felt great to share how I got here and what it actually looks like to be in this role, and also the challenges I deal with today to always improve. You’re not perfect, and there are always things we can do better and be better at.

CMT: What are the ways that you balance your personal life and your work life?

Tahjan: I’m still working on that, actually. What I do try to do is set aside time for friends and family. I think it’s really important to show up for people, because when you do, they’ll show up for you. Just like it’s important to build strong work relationships, it’s just as important to maintain your friendships outside of work.

I have a very close relationship with my mom, so I make time after work to call her and check in. We also visit each other — she’ll come to see me, and I’ll go to see her. It’s the same with my friends.

For any key milestones — graduations, awards, big celebrations — I try to make sure I’m there. And they do the same for me.

CMT: What is one piece of advice you wish to share with women in the industry?

Tahjan: I would say, believe in yourself. Have confidence in how you speak, and think about how you can influence others. One big thing is, when you first come into the industry, you might feel some doubt — about what you want to do, or even about an idea you want to share with the business, but aren’t sure how it will be received.

Diversity of opinion is so important. You might be hesitant to speak up, but sharing your perspective could actually spark a new way of thinking. It might help drive business impact or help inform the product roadmap. You could unlock something someone else has been trying to solve for a long time.

So, I think it’s really important to take initiative and share what you’re thinking. The worst thing that can happen is feedback — and that’s not a bad thing.

In addition to that, when you have a mindset of confidence, it also helps with decision-making. Sometimes you won’t have all the insights, and you’ll have to rely on your gut. In those moments, you need to be strong and firm in what you believe. And if it makes sense, others will follow because of you.