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The Protective Umbrella: How PMs Shield Teams Through Collective Buy-in
- Product Managers rely on influence through collective buy-in, rather than formal authority, to lead product teams effectively.
- They are compared to politicians who build coalitions, craft narratives, and earn mandates through persuasion and demonstrated value.
- Successful Product Managers establish their power base through collaboration, centered around a shared product roadmap acting as a social contract.
- By gaining collective buy-in, Product Managers become empowered to prioritize tasks, shield teams from distractions, and enforce focus on agreed-upon goals.
- Their role involves curating priorities based on collective agreements rather than personal preferences, ensuring alignment with company commitments.
- Product Managers earn influence through transparency, evidence-based decision-making, stakeholder inclusion, successful deliveries, and adaptability.
- Deviations from the roadmap incur a 'context-switching tax,' leading to productivity loss, disrupted momentum, and morale impact, emphasizing the importance of conscious decision-making.
- Effective Product Managers navigate roadmap changes with awareness of associated costs, renewing their mandate through successful deliveries and being accountable for failures.
- Their ability to say 'no' to stakeholders lies in prioritizing collective goals over individual preferences, leveraging the roadmap as an expression of organizational strategy.
- The influence Product Managers wield stems from creating shared understanding, building trust, and upholding collective agreements, surpassing the limitations of formal authority.
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