Product managers don't code, design, or conduct research. Their unique value is providing clarity through strategy, requirements, or a North Star vision. This clarity empowers the entire team to execute their specialized roles effectively and succeed.

The core job of a Product Manager is not writing specs or talking to press; it's a leadership role. Success means getting a product to market that wins. This requires influencing engineering, marketing, and sales without any formal authority, making it the ultimate training ground for real leadership.

A product manager's primary role is not just managing roadmaps but injecting courage into the team. This means making unpopular decisions, like scrapping a project after months of work, to ensure the team is always building the right thing, even when it's difficult or requires challenging leadership.

The PM role is intentionally undefined, meant to adapt to a team's needs—from strategy to quality control. However, these functions can often be filled by a strong engineering lead or designer, making dedicated PMs non-essential, and potentially harmful, on smaller teams.

The 'CEO of the product' metaphor is misleading because product managers lack direct authority. A better analogy is 'the glue.' The PM's role is to connect different functions—engineering, sales, marketing—with strategy, data, and user problems to ensure the team works cohesively towards a shared goal.

To build trust and deliver value, product managers cannot be 'tourists' who drop in on other departments transactionally. They must become 'locals'—deeply integrated, trusted partners who are regulars in cross-functional conversations and are seen as being 'in the battle' together with sales, marketing, and other teams.

In an organization still running in project mode, the 'Product Manager' title is misleading. The role is often relegated to organizing work and scheduling tasks for engineering. A true product model requires empowering these roles with the mandate, skills, and market access to make strategic decisions.

The definition of "cross-functional" is shifting from coordinating between departments to embodying multiple skills. To increase speed, modern PMs must directly perform tasks in design, user research, and even coding, rather than acting as a 'glorified cross-functional secretary.'

Frame the product manager not as a feature owner, but as the central communication hub. Their primary function is to connect business, stakeholders, engineering, and design, navigating complex relationships and translating needs across disparate groups.