Are You Doing Product Management or Bullshit Management?

Photo by adrian millon on Unsplash

Something strikes me; many companies hire experienced product professionals in the hope of scaling up their products. However, what happens in practice is frightening; such product professionals become powerless because they are not the ones calling the shots. Top management believes in knowing best what to do and expecting product people to follow their orders. In reality, you start doing bullshit management instead of product management.

Without decision power, Product Managers cannot thrive.

Be careful! What companies say and do often go in opposite directions. They may say they have flat hierarchies, but you will stumble upon extensive decision-making processes and ultimately fall into analysis paralysis. You may be empowered to make decisions, but that won’t go beyond a specific context, e.g., you may decide how best to implement a solution but not which problem to solve.

I’m shocked by how opinions and hierarchy drive business. I wonder if leaders hire Product Managers to do product management or bullshit management. Allow me to illustrate what I call bullshit management and how you can escape from such a horrible trap.

Companies Often Misunderstand Product Management