Mar 29, 2025
Product Managers wait for clarity that never arrives.
They expect the strategy doc to have the answers. But nothing lands. Just more PowerPoint 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 delay, they decorate confusion with buzzwords. It feels smart but it isn't clear.
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 when 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 can make one. They stop asking “What's the direction?” and start saying “Here's what I'm seeing - poke holes in it”
Keep reading
When you have a decent structure and process, it does feel like you are making progress, so PMs grab (R)ICE, HEART or whatever the latest prioritisation framewo...
There are tech teams that act like their job starts when the requirements arrive. Still! This is a tech leadership gap created by a tech leader who prefers an a...
The most obvious upcoming change in product, design and engineering is in team structure. Teams will get smaller. One person covers what used to take three or f...
I'm a father of 3 from Sydney, a Product Director and a Product Coach. I write about leadership, product management and the messy reality of making work work.
I'm currently building and experimenting with a mildly alarming number of things.
Subscribe to the best posts on product, strategy, and AI. Just one email a month.
