As head of product, should I be a player-manager, or hire and delegate?

Here’s a question I was asked recently:

Hi Jock,

I’ve recently joined a new company as their first head of product. Historically the company hasn’t been ‘product-minded’.

There’s plenty that needs doing with the products. I could focus on the hiring process, but the only product manager on my team has their hands full, so I can’t delegate any more to them. I could get stuck in with the products myself as a player-manager, but this means I won’t have time to hire.

What’s the right ba...