You were hired to be a communicator, while somebody else may have been hired because they’re really good at math or have great relationships with vendors. Communication is your job, and you can’t expect everyone else to be good at it. My two favorite questions are “What are your goals?” and “What are you optimizing for?” I use them often and with great sincerity, and my product manager life (and non–product manager life!) is much better off because of it.
