Product managers occupy an unusual position in most organisations. They have broad influence but narrow authority. They sit in every meeting but own no team directly. They make recommendations that shape what engineers build, what designers design, and what salespeople sell - yet they depend entirely on those people's goodwill to get anything done.
At the fourth Gathering of The Product Consortium, Samia Suys, VP Product at Cheqroom, delivered one of the most talked-about presentations in the community's history. With characteristic directness, she addressed the uncomfortable truth that product managers often become the most resented people in their organisations, not because of their decisions, but because of how they make people feel while making those decisions.
The talk was equal parts self-reflection and practical advice, offering a mirror for PMs to examine their own behaviour and a toolkit for building the kind of relationships that make product leadership sustainable.
Original Presentation Slides
Download the slides from this talk as presented at the gathering.
