🛑 Stop fooling yourself that the PM is the "CEO of the Product..." because in truth, you are the "editor."

(When luxury words... are causing a lot of Product Manager to burn-out unknowingly)

"You are the CEO of this product."

This is the classic discourse that tech circles and Product lines have been using to talk about Product Manager positions for decades.

* Sounds powerful

* Sounds grand

* And it sounds like this line worker is sitting in a chair with the power to shape the future of the product.

But for those who have been in the field long enough to understand the truth,

"The PM's job is hardly even close to being CEO."

Because in the real world,

* We don't own the company

* We don't control the entire budget.

* We do not have the right to hire or fire anyone.

* And most importantly... we have almost no direct authority over anyone.

Many times, the PM has to work with

* Engineering Manager

* Designer

* Data Analyst

* Delivery team

* Marketing team

* Sales

* Customer Support

* And countless other Stakeholders.

In other words,

"You have to take responsibility for the results... without any really CEO-supported command, and this is the beginning of the quiet fatigue that many Product makers are facing?"

= = = =

🎭 Mayacti, the "CEO of the Product," who is making good people burn-out.

The "CEO of the Product" concept has its beginnings in legendary articles like Ben Horowitz's Good Product Manager / Bad Product Manager.

In the context of that era, the concept aims to push the PM to feel more "responsible for the results."

The problem is that many organizations interpret it too extreme.

It turns out the PM has to carry everything.

But there's really no power to change anything.

Let's compare it simply. A real CEO can.

* Hire people

* Can fire

* Budget control

* Change the team structure.

* And override the decision immediately.

But most Product Managers in the real world can't do these things.

Many times, the PM is therefore stuck in a freak state.

"Responsible for everything... but uncontrollable."

Finally, many people start to burn out.

Not because of hard work alone.

But because of trying to control what they themselves "never controlled" in the first place,

And when you try to use a CEO ego to lead a team without Executive Power,

What follows is

* Conflict with the team

* The fatigue of convincing people all the time.

* And the feeling, "Why doesn't anyone listen to us?"

The truth may be that

This role was never designed to "command" from the beginning.

= = = =

✍️ The painful truth is, you're not the CEO... you're the editor.

If you want to understand Product Manager more clearly,

Stop looking at the executive room.

And then look at the desk of the "editor" in the publishing house instead.

Because what PM does in the real world is more similar to Editor's work than many people think.

A good editor is not entirely the one who writes the book himself, but has a duty.

* Read the original carefully.

* Questions sharp enough to make the job better

* Cut out unnecessary things

* Make the important substance clearer

* And protect the quality of the work until it reaches the reader's hands.

Product Manager also works virtually the same way.

* The engineer is the coder.

* Designer is the designer of the experience.

* Data Analyst is the person who interprets the data.

* Marketing is a person who communicates with the market.

The PM part is the one who needs to make sure

"What everyone is building together... it's really valuable."

The PM's job is therefore not to usurp the engineer keyboard to code.

And it's not a show of who's the smartest in the room.

But it's to help the team see the same picture.

And help "cut out the unnecessary" from the production.

In other words,

Good PM. Not good at saying, "What more needs to be done?"

But I'm good at knowing what to cut.

= = = =

🧠 Strategy is not candlestick thinking... but the art of selection.

Many would argue that

"But doesn't the PM have to be a strategist?"

"Well, yes," but isn't the strategy in the Product world really caused by sitting in a conference room and thinking of Vision alone?

A lot of strategy stems from

* Listen to the customer complain

* Read Support Tickets

* Talk to the sales team

* See user behavior

* Listen to the engineer team tell me the restrictions

* And constantly read rival games.

In other words,

"All the raw materials... are already everywhere."

The PM's job is to

* Screening

* Link

* prioritize

* And decide, "What's really important?"

This is why

The PM's Strategy is not the art of "reinventing everything."

But it's the art of being more "editorial."

Even Steve Jobs himself didn't code every line. Or design every piece himself?

He works with world-class people like

* Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer of Apple

* Or Tony Fadell, engineer and creator of the iPod, etc.

What makes Steve Jobs different is not doing everything himself.

But the ability to "choose."

What should stay

And what should be rejected?

He may not be a "solo artist."

But more of an "editor with an acute taste."

= = = =

🏗️ Put down the CEO ego... and come back to the PM the team wants to work with.

As soon as you give up trying to be "CEO of everything,"

The way you work will change immediately.

You'll start to understand that.

* Influence is not like the Authority.

* Ownership does not mean to control everything.

* And leadership does not always require authority.

A good PM is therefore not the noisiest person in the room, but the one who

* Connect the teams together

* Make everyone see the same picture

* Dare to say "no" to something unimportant

* And protect the value of the product from the chaos around it.

Because in the product world,

Saying "don't do it" is right.

Maybe as important as saying "What should I do?"

= = = =

✨ So the great PM doesn't command the best... but makes everyone's job the best.

The "CEO of the Product" discourse may sound handsome.

And may help fill the ego for working people to feel important.

But it's also a pitfall that leaves so many PMs carrying everything alone.

While the "editor" concept may not sound as grand,

But it's closer to the truth.

You're not a star in front of the camera.

You are the one who makes a star "look the best" when the work goes out into the eye of the beholder.

And in the end,

Greatness of Product

It's not about ordering anyone to work.

But it's about making everyone's work... become something that customers can't live without.

# Two stories a day # ProductManagement # ProductStrategy # ExecutiveMindset # FutureOfWork# Leadership # TechCareer

= = = =

📚 Source / Reference

* Ben Horowitz (1997): Original concept from the "Good Product Manager / Bad Product Manager" document that marks the origin of the "CEO of the Product" discourse, reflecting the changing context in modern times.

* The Myth of the Lone Genius (Steve Jobs): A case study of Steve Jobs' approach to work with Jony Ive and Tony Fadell that reflects the role of a leader as a "Fierce Editor," a tasteful editor, rather than being a creative person alone.