When stakeholders bypass you to go straight to engineering they are sending a signal. Learn how to tighten your loop and stop the shadow roadmap.
Read moreONE THING on the Illusion of Certainty
Stakeholders crave certainty, but promising fixed features months in advance is a trap. Learn why great product leaders promise focus instead of certainty.
Read moreONE THING on the Power of "Not Now"
The hardest part of product management is saying no. Discover why a well managed "Not Now" list is the ultimate secret weapon to protect your engineering focus.
Read moreONE THING on Roadmaps vs Release Plans
A roadmap is not a release plan. Confusing strategy with tactical execution is the fastest way to break stakeholder trust. Learn how to separate outcomes from outputs.
Read moreONE THING on Bowing to the HiPPO
Your job is not to maximize executive happiness. Your job is to maximize product value. Learn how to handle the HiPPO in the room.
Read moreONE THING on Product Hell
What is your job? Slave to the process or architect of the outcome. Most product leaders are trapped in Product Hell, measured by tickets instead of impact. It is time to reclaim your agency as a builder.
Read moreONE THING on the George Lucas Problem
"Nodding does not mean yes. It means the real conversation is happening somewhere else without you."
Read moreONE THING on Product Builders
Most product leaders are drowning in the details of requirements and backlogs. It is time to reclaim your agency.
Read moreONE THING on Listening
Stop staring at your camera lens. Real eye contact happens when the technology disappears.
Read moreONE THING on The Optionality Trap
Too many options dilute focus. Product leaders often design meetings for every edge case instead of optimizing the one conversation that matters most.
Read moreONE THING on Reading the Room
We as product leaders spend all day trying to read the room through a screen. You cannot build real trust when you are staring at your own face.
Read moreONE THING on Radical Agency
Leadership is not agreement. It’s ownership. The difference between nodding and taking responsibility.
Read moreONE THING on Shallow Alignment
Shallow alignment looks like agreement with no discussion. Real alignment requires the hard conversation before the “yes.”
Read moreONE THING on Controlling Your Workspace
"I deleted Microsoft Teams so I could make a phone call. It’s easily the best decision I’ve made for my workflow this year."
Read moreONE THING on Stakeholder Amnesia
Executives forget past agreements unless you reinforce them. Anchor roadmap commitments in economics before the next shiny object shows up.
Read moreONE THING on on Meetings People Want to Attend
If a meeting is unavoidable, you have an obligation to make it productive. Here are three rules to turn “dreaded” meetings into outcomes.
Read moreONE THING on Fewer Bullshit Meetings
Before you accept a meeting, ask what decision or result it’s meant to produce. If there isn’t one, don’t go.
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