AA228 - Product Management: The Impossible Job - Is the PM role fundamentally broken?

Arguing Agile

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25d ago 49:10

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Is Product Management the most unrealistic job description ever created?
Product Managers are supposed to be the "CEO of the product" - a one-person army who is CEO, therapist, engineer, and strategist (all without equity or authority). The only issue is that it sounds terrible and is a modern recipe for failure.
Watch as Brian and Om dive deep into the impossible expectations placed on Product Managers. Listen as we talk through how the role expects you to work 60+ hours minimum, handle everything from technical architecture to customer support, and somehow maintain strategic vision while putting out daily fires.
The reality?
Most PMs have responsibility without authority and get paid for one job while doing five. We explore the industrial complex that perpetuates these unrealistic expectations and discuss what needs to change.
🔥 Key Discussions Include:

The myth of "CEO of the product"
Sensationalizing the 60-hour work week
Exploitation (aka. human Swiss Army knife)
Power dynamics in modern Business
$$$ (industrial complex) perpetuating the status quo

Whether you're a PM drowning in responsibilities or a leader wondering why your PM "doesn't communicate enough," this episode will give you plenty to think about.
#productmanagement #Leadership #AgileCoaching #WorkLifeBalance #ProductStrategy #TeamDevelopment #OrganizationalDesign
LINKS

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
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Website: http://arguingagile.com
INTRO MUSIC
Toronto Is My Beat
By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)
CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Chapters

1. The Impossible Job (00:00:00)

2. Podcast Intro (00:01:03)

3. Discussing the Impossible Job Description (00:01:58)

4. Deoptimization and Prioritization (00:03:24)

5. Holding out for a Unicorn (00:06:35)

6. Experience Levels in Product Management (00:06:57)

7. cEo oF tHe PrOdUcT (00:08:58)

8. The 60-Hour Work (00:10:33)

9. Perpetuating the Myth (00:12:59)

10. Track Your Real Working Hours (00:17:00)

11. High Commitment, High Grit (00:18:08)

12. Origin of "CEO of the Product" Metaphor (00:19:54)

13. Hijacking Extreme Ownership (00:21:57)

14. Clear Accountabilities (00:24:48)

15. Human Swiss Army Knife (00:26:01)

16. Cross-Functional Teams (00:27:38)

17. What do you do here? (00:31:48)

18. Faux Compensation (00:33:29)

19. The Exploitation of Product Managers (00:35:37)

20. Power Dynamics (00:38:16)

21. LinkedIn is Terrible (00:39:00)

22. Product Industrial Complex (00:41:24)

23. Final Thoughts (00:45:51)

24. Wrap-Up (00:49:03)

231 episodes

#Business #Brian Orlando #Tech #MBA #Podcasting Education