Lately, I am seeing posts on LinkedIn discussing whether the product manager (PM) is really the “CEO of the Product”. The posts aim to “debunk the ‘PM as CEO of the Product’ myth” as they put it. The typical arguments given are:
- A CEO is the top executive in the company with decision making power over all functions. A PM does not have the same level of authority.
- A CEO has ultimate responsibility for the success and failure of the company. A product can fail for any number of reasons outside a PM’s control.
The two points above not only take a narrow view of the PM role, but also take an even narrower view of the CEO role. IMHO it is not necessary to literally compare the jurisdiction of the two roles.
“CEO of the Product” is a mindset.
You do not need to have everything go swell in your life to have a “Positive Mindset”. But those with such a mindset focus on the good in life vs the bad.
Not everyone has to start a company or a business to have an “Entrepreneurial Mindset”. But those with such a mindset are willing to fail and take risks, adapt better to change & uncertainty.
Similarly those with “CEO-of-the-Product Mindset” are likely to succeed in the role of a PM than not.
What does that mean? In one sentence, “The buck stops here”, taking accountability for the success and failure of the product, even though as a PM you are not writing a line of code and not dialing up customers every day.
“CEO of the Product” is an example of the “Leadership Mindset”, who you are, how you think, how you lead, how you interact with the team – applied to the PM world.
Marty Cagan explains this very well in his book, Inspired:
“There’s no question that it’s hard enough just trying to come up with a product that your customers love and your engineers can build and deliver. Many products never get to this point. However, this is not enough. The solution must also work for your business….This is what separates the good PMs from the great ones, and that more than anything else, this is what is really meant by being the CEO of the Product.”
Marty Cagan, Inspired
We don’t debate Positive Mindset or Entrepreneurial Mindset. Similarly debating “CEO of the Product” Mindset is not necessary. If you have it, more power to you. If you don’t, you can learn it. See the examples of great PMs in Marty’s book. Look for great PMs around you. All the best!
Image source: Getty Images
On Product Leadership 