A few years ago, I delivered a training session at a large, process-driven enterprise financial services company. When the topic turned to the day-to-day responsibilities of a product manager, a recent hire expressed his frustration at the unexpected ambiguity of his new role: “I feel like every day I show up for work, this is a totally different job.” The other product managers in the room just smiled. Eventually, he started smiling too. Like many product managers before him, he had asked the question, “Just what am I supposed to do all day?” And without even realizing it, he had already
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