Getting Started in Product

Product related roles have grown considerably over the past five years, which means an influx of people who are starting out in a new skills area. Getting Started in Product aims to support these people make the transition.

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Should Product Managers “Change The World”?

2 min readFeb 26, 2025

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I’ve written posts in the past where I’ve looked at quotes that relate to being a product manager and how those quotes are relevant.

One of the most frequently quoted comes from Jeff Patton.

Jeff is the founder and principal of Jeff Patton & Associates, and has been involved in creating software since the 1980s. In the late 90s and early 2000s he worked as a product leader for a small company that grew considerably and today is known as Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

The quote?

Remember, at the end of the day, your job isn’t to get the requirements right — your job is to change the world.

Photo by Bruno Figueiredo on Unsplash

Isn’t this a bit much?

Are we really saying that Product Managers can change the world? I have to be honest, but after ten years working in product management, I can tell you that product managers definitely CANNOT change the world.

Product teams on the other hand, they definitely can.

The product team that worked on the iPhone. They changed the world.

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Getting Started in Product
Getting Started in Product

Published in Getting Started in Product

Product related roles have grown considerably over the past five years, which means an influx of people who are starting out in a new skills area. Getting Started in Product aims to support these people make the transition.

Robert Drury
Robert Drury

Written by Robert Drury

Helping people kick start their product management career with job application prep & CV prep at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjdrury/