You don’t need to say no more. You just need to stop being first. Try “Not me first.” Let others answer, then step in only if it’s urgent or aligned. Your credibility stays intact—and your brain stays whole.

PM reminder I needed this week: Ambiguity = build a system, not pick an option. I wrote up the flow that helps me get unstuck when nothing is clear.

The most expensive habit for product managers? Saying yes before thinking. It protects trust in the moment but quietly shreds your focus over months.

Being “the reliable one” has a tipping point. The moment you jump in before anyone asks… you start carrying work that isn’t yours. If your to-do list is full of other people’s problems, your reflex—not your role—is running the show.

3 changes to be AI-first: 1️⃣ Procurement is your new best friend 2️⃣ Clarity + Observability = Control 3️⃣ Speed from experiments to outcomes "The best AI for product managers is the kind that disappears into better outcomes." productside.com/how-to-build...

3 changes to be AI-first from the CPO of Typeform: 1️⃣ Procurement is your new best friend 2️⃣ Clarity + Observability = Control 3️⃣ Speed from experiments to outcomes "The best AI for product managers is the kind that disappears into better outcomes." buff.ly/POYEmBf

Every product manager wants to drive growth. Once you know your offer, you can: - Repackage it for new segments - Simplify deployment with bundles - Attach it to higher-velocity products The growth lever isn’t always new features. Sometimes it’s just knowing what you’re already selling.

Product ≠ Offer. Your product becomes an offer only when it’s packaged, priced, and ready to sell. That last mile — from SKU to quote to deal — is where growth hides. If you don’t know how your product is sold, you can’t know how it’s adopted.

Ever been in a product debate that loops for weeks—same smart people, same arguments, no decision? It’s rarely about who’s right. It’s about what kind of decision everyone’s actually trying to make.

Ever launched a feature that landed with silence? Customers are curious but unsure how to buy. The SKU exists — but no one’s quoting it. That’s an offer gap — where your product stops translating into something people can buy. You can fix it without a single line of code.

Could someone actually buy your product today? Not demo it. Not pilot it. Buy it. If you can’t answer that fast, you might have found your next growth blocker — and your next opportunity. Your roadmap builds features. Your offer drives growth.

"Brand isn’t a marketing exercise anymore. It’s a product responsibility." Reasons brand is a product job: 1️⃣ Your product is the brand 2️⃣ User-generated content and reviews outweigh traditional product visibility 3️⃣ Think about how your product makes people feel buff.ly/z7Hb1LY

“50% done with the UX refresh” doesn’t move the room. But: “40% of support tickets come from confusion this refresh will eliminate” That reframing turns progress updates into business insight. And keeps your quiet pilot visible at the right altitude.

You’re not “cleaning up” the UX. You’re reducing support tickets and unlocking expansion. Quiet work only stays tactical if you describe it that way. Frame outcomes, not effort. That’s how invisible work becomes strategic work.

Everywhere I look: modernization, AI, transformation, automation. All urgent. And all landing at once. My latest article looks at how product managers can translate that swirl into progress through • architecture alignment, • incremental automation, • platform maturity.

You run a pilot, it works. And suddenly you’re the only one who knows how to keep it running. No headcount. No roadmap. Before you start, ask: - What’s my exit plan once this works? Quiet pilots build systems. Product leaders make sure they don’t get stuck maintaining them.

Some of the most valuable product work looks invisible: → Forward-selling a service that doesn’t exist yet → Building a catalog no one asked for These “quiet pilots” quietly shape product direction long before the roadmap catches up. The trick? Making sure your quiet impact doesn’t stay invisible.

How do you make change stick in your product? 1️⃣ Fund value streams, not projects - Teams stop waiting for permission 2️⃣ If your feedback loop runs quarterly, you are not learning fast enough 3️⃣ Architecture that enables incremental change - Invest in the boring plumbing buff.ly/eexcklp

When onboarding improves, everything downstream feels lighter. Fewer escalations. Cleaner handoffs. Faster proof of value. Revenue starts arriving sooner — and sticking longer. That’s the quiet power of focusing on Time to First Success.

Onboarding isn’t failing because people don’t care. It’s failing because it relies on people caring that much. You don’t need another workshop. Turning good intentions into structure, clear roles, and small feedback loops makes it easier next time.

Product management gives you a front-row seat to change. Outages. Reorgs. Launches that flop. Every product manager has lived through at least one of them. The trick is learning how to recover fast, steady your team, and move forward stronger.

Most teams try to fix onboarding before they ever define success. What’s your real moment of first value — setup complete, data flowing, or the first dashboard used? Without that shared definition, everyone’s running toward a different finish line.

Your calendar says “Prepare business case.” Your day says “Handle onboarding issues.” It’s wild how fast onboarding work takes over. One escalation turns into a pattern, and suddenly PMs are the safety net. If that’s happening, it’s not a people problem — it’s a system one.

Practical measures for product success with stakeholders: 1️⃣ Focus on the right stakeholders 2️⃣ Build trust with stakeholders 3️⃣ Engage stakeholders early and often - Keep them involved in why and how a decision is made buff.ly/kzZd7p3

You can be flawless and still feel sidelined. If your value shows up after the work is done, you’ll always be the fixer, not the shaper. Start earlier. Ask what success could look like, not just what’s wrong. That’s how precision becomes influence.

You won’t always hear it directly, but you’ll feel it. You’re praised for catching issues, not for shaping direction. Decisions happen before you’re looped in. Your feedback lands like a verdict. It’s not a performance problem; it’s a perception shift waiting to happen.

When a team keeps looping on the same decision, it’s rarely about the topic. It’s about the layers underneath — framing, process, values, sponsorship. Seeing those layers is what finally turns debate into progress.

Being decisive and detail-oriented keeps teams safe. Until it starts making people hesitate to share ideas with you. It’s not that you’re “too much.” It’s that your sharpness shows up before your curiosity does. If you want more influence, lead with openness before accuracy.

Ever notice how the most reliable product managers don’t always get pulled into strategy? They’re trusted to protect the product, but not to shape it. It’s not about competence. It’s perception. When people see you as the safety net, they stop seeing you as the strategist.

The days of top-down control in product are over. You don't need to have all the answers to lead anymore. 3 steps to empower your product team: 1️⃣ Match people's strengths to where they're needed 2️⃣ Communicate the goals of the organization 3️⃣ Help decisions travel quickly buff.ly/Q5dgZbO

Use a capability checklist and maturity model in your product to: ✅ Show what’s feasible today ✅ Expose what’s risky tomorrow ✅ Connect maturity work to revenue impact The goal isn’t to slow momentum — it’s to make sure it lasts

When leadership says “We’re going after enterprise,” you don’t need to argue. You just need to map readiness. Start with: A capability checklist → what’s in place vs. missing A maturity model → where you stand today

Risks circle back. Decisions move forward. The small shift that made product work calmer (and faster): Stop Logging Risks. Start Driving Decisions.

It’s easy to see maturity work as “slowing growth.” But when your product isn’t quite ready, growth pressure just exposes the cracks faster. A simple maturity model helps you tie those cracks to business outcomes It reframes maturity as a growth enabler, not a detour.

When your peers talk “next big bets,” do you quietly think, “our product isn’t quite ready for prime time”? Most product managers do — but we don’t say it out loud. A capability checklist gives that fear language.

"The most interesting careers look like expanding influence - product thinking applied to increasingly complex organizational challenges." www.productparty.us/p/the-produc...

Early in your career, success means getting things done yourself. Later, it means making your work easier for others to build on. Work alone if you want to move fast. But if you want the work to stick, bring your team along.

Fast-moving product managers often hear “collaborate more” and think “slow down.” But good collaboration amplifies your independence—it doesn’t dilute it. 1. Plan for handoffs early 2. Share progress asynchronously 3. Ask for small inputs, not full-time partners

The biggest reason product ideas die? Not bad data — good data, told badly. Hodman Murad shares what product managers can do differently. She walks through a consultant’s approach to turning analytics into a product narrative that drives executive conviction.

The system makes it easy for product managers to work alone: 💨 High growth = speed over coordination 📉 Flat orgs = stretched managers 🔁 Vague ownership = unclear boundaries The fix isn’t more meetings. It’s a few small habits that keep others close—without slowing you down.

The product manager who thrives in chaos. Moves fast. Takes full ownership. Until one day, everyone else is waiting for that product manager. Working alone isn’t the problem. It’s forgetting to bring the team along that turns autonomy into cleanup.

Do you need to have every answer? Phrases for product managers instead of all the answers: 💠 Here's what I'm seeing and what I'm still figuring out. 💠 What would make this feel like a win for you? 💠 Here's what we can do right now and what we'll reassess later. buff.ly/vQ1MzYt

How do you know you’re leveling up from PM → GM? You stop asking only: “What’s the next feature?” And start asking: How do revenue, cost, and usage connect? This is the playbook: Blind spots → Mental models → Operational tools → Coordination. That’s how product managers become business leaders.

Being promoted “in place” isn’t about control. It’s about coordination. New mindset: I orchestrate system outcomes. You’re no longer judged by features shipped. You’re judged by whether sales, finance, ops, and product can all move forward together. That’s when you start being a business leader.

Urgency isn’t a fire drill. It’s a leadership test. Here’s a playbook for product managers to adjust instead of react. amycmitchell.substack.com/p/handling-u...

Think you’re just managing your product? Check again—you might already be running the business. Some blind spots: 💠 Obsessing over business metrics without fixing operations 💠 Pushing decisions before alignment 💠 Ignoring team design bottlenecks Systems thinking can help you.

Product managers everywhere are being “promoted” without notice. Not with a new title. Not with a new paycheck. But with new responsibility. Your boss steps away. Your cross-functional team looks to you. Suddenly you’re running the business, not just the backlog.

AI usage stages: Stage 1: AI as a Tool Simple transactions Stage 2: AI as Assistants Ask very specific questions Stage 3: AI as Collaborators Meaningful dialogue. Stage 4: AI as Autonomous Agents AI executes multi-step workflows

How Real Growth Starts Don’t treat new opportunities like a pitch. Treat them like a campaign. Small wins build momentum. Finance and execs become allies. That’s how product managers turn a question mark into real growth.

Why “Customer Demand” Isn’t Enough Product manager truth: not every important opportunity comes from customer requests. Sometimes you see it first. The art is teaching your org to believe in a future they can’t see yet.