As one ladders up to higher positions in any function (more true for tech-centric functions like product, engineering or design), a key skill is to find the important problems the company needs the team to solve. What can you do to best ensure that my team is working on those problems and solving them successfully (measured by user and business impact rather than output).
I often measure yourself by being able to identify, create, and seize ownership of ambiguous, difficult areas that can lead to outstanding products and businesses.
This means, developing a thick skin while managing key stakeholders where you've said no to 90% of their asks, but they still only want to work with you
Your job is to give your team the best shot at building the best product within the real constraints of limited time, budget, and headcount. This means that you will be constant competing for limited capacity. While some Product leaders might attribute rejections for capacity to bad luck or even label as ‘politics’, ultimately they often fail to provide their teams the required air cover to do effective work.
Key thing is to deploy both “hands” and “eyes” modes at on / off settings depending on the context.
Example of “hands-on” might mean building relationships proactively or be alert to gauge the currency of power & leverage, how it is gained/lost/deployed/withheld. On the other hand, a “hands-off” but “eyes-on” approach could be while