Mar 29, 2025
Make It Clear
Product Managers wait for clarity that never arrives.
They expect the strategy doc to have the answers. But nothing lands. Just more slides.
Because the higher up you go, the blurrier it gets. Goals get loftier. Language gets vaguer. No one wants to be wrong. So they hedge, they delay, they decorate confusion with buzzwords. It feels smart. But it isn’t clear.
Clarity doesn’t get handed down. It’s carved out.
The best Product Managers don’t wait. They start shaping. They turn fuzzy goals into concrete next steps. They don’t chase alignment. They chase decisions. They poke holes (even though it creates discomfort). They write the draft no one asked for. They map the fog, not run from it.
Because anyone can follow a plan. But great Product Managers make one.
They take the blur and turn it into focus. They stop asking, “What’s the direction?” and start saying, “Here’s what I’m seeing—poke holes in it.”
They expect the strategy doc to have the answers. But nothing lands. Just more slides.
Because the higher up you go, the blurrier it gets. Goals get loftier. Language gets vaguer. No one wants to be wrong. So they hedge, they delay, they decorate confusion with buzzwords. It feels smart. But it isn’t clear.
Clarity doesn’t get handed down. It’s carved out.
The best Product Managers don’t wait. They start shaping. They turn fuzzy goals into concrete next steps. They don’t chase alignment. They chase decisions. They poke holes (even though it creates discomfort). They write the draft no one asked for. They map the fog, not run from it.
Because anyone can follow a plan. But great Product Managers make one.
They take the blur and turn it into focus. They stop asking, “What’s the direction?” and start saying, “Here’s what I’m seeing—poke holes in it.”
About Max Antonov
I’m Max, a father of two, Product Director & Product Coach from Sydney. I write about leadership, product management
and life.
Feel free to reach out: [email protected].
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