👋 Hey there product leader,
So you’ve mastered product specs, roadmaps, and stakeholder meetings — and now? You’ve been given the keys to something even more impactful: people.
Whether you're mentoring your first product manager or scaling an entire team, this isn't just the next level — it's a whole new game. And it's not in the handbook.
In this free article, I’m opening up my real playbook: the frameworks, mistakes, stories, and breakthroughs that helped me transition from tactical executor to a true people-first leader. Let’s dive in 👇
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” — Plutarch
Why Leadership in Product Is Different
You can be a brilliant individual contributor and still fail as a leader. Product leadership demands something more: the ability to synthesise data, empathy, and organisational vision into a force that inspires others.
A product manager with direct reports wears two hats: strategic thinker and talent multiplier. The challenge? You have to stop solving every problem yourself and start creating environments where others solve problems better than you could.
1. The Shift to People-Centric Leadership
The best leaders understand they are not the heroes of the story. Their team is.
A people-centric approach means building trust, removing roadblocks, and empowering your team to shine. You become the mirror that reflects their brilliance. Think of yourself less as the lead strategist and more as the lead amplifier.
Key traits of people-first product leaders:
Active listeners who uncover hidden blockers
Emotionally intelligent mentors who respond, not react
Visionaries who align personal growth with product success
To lead a team effectively, you must become a student of human behaviour. Learn their strengths, their fears, and their communication styles.
When conflicts arise (and they will), don't avoid them. Address them early. Great leaders see friction not as failure, but as feedback.
Quick Wins:
Celebrate wins weekly
Set communication preferences
Notice who’s speaking less and pull them in
3. Delegation: The Most Underused Growth Lever
Delegation isn’t about offloading tasks. It’s about unlocking growth.
When done right, it multiplies impact and builds a team that can operate without micromanagement. When done wrong, it leads to resentment, chaos, and burnout.
Delegation Framework:
What: Delegate outcomes, not tasks.
Who: Match task with growth opportunity.
How: Clarify success criteria, then get out of the way.
This is how you buy time for vision while building future leaders.
4. The COACH Framework: Mentoring Made Actionable
Here's the model I use to mentor product managers:
Contextual Inquiry – Understand their landscape. What’s working? What isn’t?
Objectives Setting – Co-create short- and long-term goals.
Action Planning – Define how they’ll get there, step by step.
Commitment to Execute – Ensure ownership and follow-through.
Helping Hand – Offer consistent support, feedback, and perspective.
This model isn’t about control; it’s about co-creation.
5. Building a Mentorship Culture
You aren’t just mentoring individuals. You’re creating a culture that scales mentorship.
Key components:
Set expectations early and clearly
Promote cross-functional collaboration
Encourage experimentation and celebrate lessons from failure
Create a system where your team not only grows, but also mentors others. That’s how you build momentum.
6. Product Decisions, Elevated by Experience
Managing PMs means stepping back from day-to-day feature choices — but your experience still matters.
Guide others to make decisions by teaching them how to:
Weigh data vs. intuition
Prioritize ruthlessly
Learn fast through iteration
Data will tell you what, but experience will help you teach them why.
7. The Real Role of Feedback
Feedback is your most powerful tool — but most leaders wield it poorly.
Use feedback to:
Inspire, not just correct
Reinforce, not just evaluate
Normalise vulnerability and curiosity
Regular one-on-ones shouldn’t be performance reviews. They should be momentum checks.
8. From Manager to Legacy-Builder
When your direct reports start mentoring others, you’re no longer just managing.
You’re building a legacy.
The ultimate goal isn’t to lead every project or sign off on every roadmap. It’s to build a team that thrives without you.
9. Lessons From the Field: Stories That Shaped My Leadership
🚧 Story 1: The Overhelping Trap Early on, I took over decisions from a struggling PM to "help." Instead, I stalled their growth. When I finally stepped back and let them own a complex roadmap, they flourished — and eventually became one of our best team leads.
⚡ Story 2: Friction as a Signal. Another time, delivery slowed due to unspoken tension. A shift to open retrospectives transformed team energy and performance. The smallest rituals often unlock the biggest breakthroughs.
10. Common Mistakes New PM Leaders Make
Micromanaging: It feels like you're helping, but you're really disempowering.
Avoiding Conflict: Not addressing issues early breeds resentment.
Feedback Starvation: Not giving or asking for enough feedback creates blind spots.
One-Size-Fits-All Mentoring: Different PMs need different types of guidance.
Recognising these patterns early will save you months of stress and stagnation.
11. Team Evolution: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Your leadership should evolve as your team evolves.
Forming: Provide structure, clarify roles, and set tone.
Storming: Mediate tension, enforce norms.
Norming: Encourage ownership and collaboration.
Performing: Step back. Let them lead.
Know where your team is in the lifecycle. Adapt accordingly.
12. Managing Your Time as a Player-Coach
One of the hardest challenges is balancing your time between people, product, and strategy.
How I manage it:
30% mentorship + 40% strategy + 20% cross-functional alignment + 10% unplanned issues
Block calendar time for deep thinking
Set boundaries for meeting overload
You can’t lead if you’re always reacting.
Final Thought: Leadership Is Product Work
If you build your team right, your impact won’t just be measured in features shipped. It will be measured in leaders created.
In a world where product management is becoming more complex and people are craving meaning, leadership is the real product.
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