Stefano Mosconi 🇫🇮🇮🇹’s Post

The Hardest Lesson Every Product Manager Learns (Eventually) No one really tells you this when you start as a Product Manager but at some point, you’ll have to make a decision without perfect data, without full alignment, and without enough time. And that’s when you realize Product Management isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the clarity to choose, the courage to own, and the empathy to communicate. ( sound simple and fancy right? But it’s not ) I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I waited too long for consensus and in that silence, the opportunity passed. Later, I learned that imperfect decisions made with context are often better than perfect ones made too late. Here’s the life lesson that changed how I operate: “A Product Manager’s real job isn’t to avoid uncertainty it’s to navigate through it gracefully.” Since then, I’ve stopped chasing “the right decision.” Instead, I focus on: 1. Framing trade-offs transparently. 2. Communicating context, not just outcomes. 3. Keeping customer value and team trust at the center of every call. Every PM who’s lived through a tough launch, a late pivot, or a stakeholder clash will relate to this it’s the moment you stop managing products and start leading through ambiguity. What’s one hard-earned lesson you’ve learned as a Product Manager? I’d love to hear your version. #ProductManagement #Leadership #CareerGrowth #PMCommunity #ProductLeadership

What exactly does a Product Manager do? When I first heard the term “Product Manager,” I imagined someone in a boardroom deciding the fate of a project. I couldn’t have been more wrong. A Product Manager is a storyteller, a problem-solver, and above all, the glue between customers, engineering, and business. It’s about living at the intersection of user needs, technical feasibility, and business viability. The best part? Every day brings a new challenge—and a chance to make things better. How did you first learn about product management? Comment below. #ProductManagement #CareerJourney

As a product manager saying “no”feels like walking through a minefield. One wrong word and suddenly, you’re “the blocker.” But here’s the truth: The hardest product management skill isn’t roadmapping or stakeholder alignment, It’s saying no and still being respected for it. I’ve learned that people don’t really get mad at the no. They get mad at the how of the no. When you say “no” without clarity, it sounds dismissive. When you say it with context, empathy, and strategy, it earns you respect. Every “no” I’ve said that landed well started with: > Here’s what we’re focused on right now. > This doesn’t align with our north star yet. > Let’s revisit this in Q3 when we have bandwidth. You’re not rejecting an idea, you’re protecting focus. Here’s the cheat sheet for saying no and keeping your relationships intact: Anchor it in the product vision. 1. Explain the trade-off. 2. Show you’ve listened. 3. Suggest a timeline or revisit point. People respect clarity more than compliance. Being a PM sometimes feels like being the “Chief Disappointment Officer.” But the real power move is mastering the graceful “no.” Because leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone, it’s about guiding with conviction. So next time someone drops a “quick request” that would derail your roadmap… Smile, breathe, and say: “I love it. But not right now.” --------------------------------------------------- What’s your go-to line for saying “no” gracefully? I might take a little of it! I am Maureen. Let's connect. #Productmanagement

If you think Product Managers make all the decisions, let’s pause on that for a second and reflect. Something happened recently. A few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend while sharing my pivot into product management. The moment I mentioned 'Product Manager', she quickly responded, 'Oh, that’s the CEO of the product.' I wasn’t surprised , I’ve heard it plenty of times. But something in me had to ask: “Why do you say that?” Her explanation was nothing close to what the role really means. So I broke it down for her, what a PM actually does. To be honest.. PMs don’t own the engineers. PMs don’t own the designers. PMs don’t own the stakeholders. We don’t control them. What we do is align everyone , to the customer’s needs, the business goals, and the team’s efforts , so the product moves in one direction. Every PM who truly knows their craft understands this. The role isn’t about control. It’s about alignment. It’s about influence. It’s about driving clarity so the customer, the team, and the business all move together. So yes ,in some ways, the PM is like the CEO of the product. But the power isn’t in making all the decisions. The power is in influence, clarity, and direction. Ps; What’s one misconception you’ve had about a role until you saw it up close?

Most people think product management is about strategy decks, visionary thinking, and big launches. But here’s the truth: 90% of our job is doing the unglamorous work that no one else wants to do. ↳ Sitting through a painful debugging session because the team is stuck and needs clarity. ↳ Writing the 5th version of a PRD no one is excited to review. ↳ Having a difficult conversation when misalignment is brewing, but everyone is avoiding it. ↳ Chasing down data that isn’t neatly packaged but is critical to making the right call. This is the work that rarely gets noticed. It doesn’t show up in all-hands meetings or press releases. And yet, it is exactly this work that makes the "glamorous 10%" — opportunity sizing, pitch decks, shiny launches. If you’re aspiring to grow in product management, remember: The willingness to consistently do the hard, boring, unseen work is what compounds into trust, influence, and eventually… impact.

Is a Product Manager the "Boss" of the Product? I was recently asked this, and it’s a fair question. You’ll often hear product managers described as "mini CEOs" — people who call all the shots, control every piece, and have the final say. But in my experience, that’s not how great product management works. The job isn’t about authority. It’s about alignment. Here’s what it actually looks like when done well: ✅ Discovery – Uncover customer pain points, friction, and opportunities ✅ Triangulation – Validating insights with data, feedback, and experience ✅ Quantification – Putting context and KPIs behind the issues ✅ Prioritization – Choosing direction within real-world constraints ✅ Storytelling – Balancing customer needs, business goals, and trade-offs ✅ Team Building – Getting every function to buy into the story and align Product management isn’t a walk in the park. It’s a trek through ambiguity, compromise, and persistence. It's iteration and continuous improvement. Sure, it would be easier to be “the boss,” to say my way or the highway. But that’s not how great products or teams are built. If you act like the boss, don’t be surprised when you look around and realize you’re walking alone. But if you do the hard work — listen, quantify, align, and build — you’ll never walk alone.

Why I’ll Always Believe Product Management is the Best Job in Tech!! Call me biased, but I genuinely think there’s nothing quite like being a Product Manager. Where else do you get to: • Turn raw ideas into products that actually make a difference • Partner with engineers, designers, and business leaders - all with wildly different perspectives - and somehow find the common thread • Balance strategy, execution, and a healthy dose of organized chaos PMs get to blend creativity with structure, empathy with data, and leadership with listening. It’s part art, part science - and completely addictive. Sure, priorities shift, roadmaps change, and sometimes it feels like you’re holding everything together with sticky notes and caffeine. But when something you’ve helped shape finally lands in the hands of users - and it works - that’s a feeling nothing else compares to. Here’s to all the PMs out there turning ambiguity into impact. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. ✨

💡 What does a Product Manager actually do? I get this question a lot — and while the usual answer is “we solve customer problems that create business value,” that only scratches the surface. The reality? Product Management is a balance of thinking, doing, and influencing. Here’s how I often describe it. 🧠 30% Critical Thinking A big part of the role is thinking deeply before doing. It’s easy to get caught up in delivery mode — jumping straight into solutions or building features just because someone asked for it. But the real craft lies in pausing to ask: • What problem are we solving? • Why does it matter — to the customer and the business? • What’s the best way to validate our assumptions before committing effort? This is where PMs earn their value: by reframing messy problems into clear, actionable insights that teams can rally behind. 🛠️ 30% Doing (The Craft) Execution still matters — a lot. Writing clear briefs, running discovery, facilitating workshops, analysing data, aligning roadmaps — this is the muscle of Product Management. But tools alone don’t make great PMs. It’s how you use them — to clarify thinking, communicate direction, and empower others to contribute. The best PMs are the ones who can turn abstract strategy into tangible next steps that move the team forward. 🎯 40% Influencing (The Invisible Skill) This is where many underestimate the role — and where most of the magic happens. Influencing isn’t just about presenting slides or pitching ideas. It’s in the everyday moments: • Framing trade-offs with stakeholders • Guiding design and engineering conversations • Helping your leaders understand the “why” behind your choices You’re constantly shaping alignment — with your team, your boss, and the broader business. The ability to bring people along the journey is what separates a good PM from a truly impactful one. Because at the end of the day, great Product Managers don’t just build products — they build belief. Belief in the problem, in the solution, and in the people bringing it to life.

Everyone wants to be a Product Manager — but most don’t even know what a PM actually does. 7 Myths about Product Managers. 7. More features = Better product. The best products often contain fewer things because good PMs focus on impact, not just adding more features. 6. PMs make all the decisions.PMs are decision facilitators, not decision makers. Great PMs build consensus and bring in diverse viewpoints. 5. PMs tell engineers exactly what to build. Good PMs define problems, not solutions. Engineers and designers often come up with smarter, more feasible solutions. 4. You need to be super technical to be a PM. From my experience, your job is to solve problems, prioritise features, and align stakeholders — not to write code. So, starting in this field, a basic understanding of tech is enough. 3. You can’t become a Product Manager just after college. People think you need a lot of experience to become a PM. Many companies hire product managers right out of college, including Google and Microsoft. 2. New PMs think that bringing new ideas to the table is their job. Bringing ideas is fine, but executing ideas is more important. 1. Product Managers are the Boss. Some people think Product Managers are the CEOs of the product. In reality, Product Managers don’t have that CEO level authority. Great Product Managers speak only when the team is not aligned with the product or vision. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗲. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆.

As product managers progress into more senior roles, the job shifts from building products to managing alignment, influencing stakeholders, and creating the conditions for success. Politics becomes a central part of the role, not a distraction from it. It is akin to a "royal court" #ProductManagement