Product Management is hard (and what to do about it)
The six main challenges of being a PM and how to tackle them
The reality of product management
There's a certain glamor surrounding the product manager role, often called the "CEO of the product." In theory, it sounds incredible, and there’s some truth to it: shaping the vision, driving decisions, and bringing products to life. And yes, as a PM, you are in a leadership position.
I was drawn to that glamor too, and it inspired me to do everything I could to become a Product Manager.
But the reality? It’s far more nuanced.
A PM is not always the final decision-maker. It depends on the context. In high-stakes situations like strategy, pricing decisions, market expansions, or head count decisions, PMs typically bring the analysis, frame the recommendation, and influence the direction. But final approval often rests with senior leaders (like a VP of product). In contrast, for day-to-day execution like feature prioritization, trade-offs, or team unblocking, the PM often acts as the sole decision-maker.
So while PMs are deeply involved in nearly every decision, the degree of authority varies. The job is more about influence than control. It involves navigating ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and keeping the product moving forward.
That can feel chaotic. You're expected to lead with conviction, but often without formal authority. You're balancing long-term vision with immediate needs, managing shifting priorities, and carrying the emotional weight of tough calls. It’s a lot.
That said, when you get it right, the learning and growth are incredibly rewarding. In this article, I’ll break down the challenges I’ve faced and what’s helped me along the way.
1. Ambiguity and uncertainty
No two PM roles are the same. The responsibilities and expectations can vary greatly between companies and teams within the same organization. Unlike engineering, where roles and outcomes are more defined, the product manager's job is inherently ambiguous.
Each company approaches product management differently, whether through its practices or its overall philosophy. What works well in one organization may not work in another, and even the expectations around strategy, execution, and communication can shift depending on factors like company stage, product type, and team dynamics. For new PMs, especially those transitioning from technical roles or clearly defined positions the lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities can be particularly challenging. The core truth is nature of the PM role is undefined and ever-changing, making it a constantly evolving experience.
What worked for me:
Embrace uncertainty: Understand that ambiguity is a core part of the PM role and learn to get comfortable with it. When you're navigating unclear or evolving problems, be transparent with your stakeholders. Talk openly about what’s uncertain, and bring them along in the problem-solving process. This builds trust and helps everyone align around the unknowns, rather than being blindsided by them.
Accumulate context: Set up one-on-one meetings on a regular cadence with key members of the organization to get more clarity and nuanced understanding on customer needs, business goals, and product principles.
Seek a mentor: Find a mentor who's just a few steps ahead of you. Ideally someone 2-3 years further along but still close enough to relate to your current challenges. In our fast-paced industry, experience and context can become outdated quickly, so guidance from someone with recent, relevant experience is invaluable.
2. Multifaceted nature of the PM role
Product management sits at the intersection of multiple disciplines. As a PM, you're expected to understand enough about UX, engineering, and business strategy to collaborate effectively and make informed decisions. You're also responsible for conducting user research, managing diverse stakeholders, and navigating fast-paced, agile environments.
It’s a role that demands both breadth and adaptability. And while you might pick up pieces of it through school or a specific job, there’s no single course or degree that fully prepares you for the complexity. Much of it is learned on the job through experience, observation, and iteration.
What worked for me:
Play to your strengths, and collaborate for the rest: You don’t need to master every discipline. However, you do need to bring depth in at least one area and working knowledge across others. My strengths lie in strategy and communication, so I doubled down on those. In larger organizations, I’ve found it helpful to delegate or collaborate on more execution-heavy tasks, leveraging the expertise of teammates like product owners. This lets me focus on high-impact areas like shaping strategy and driving alignment across teams.
Stay curious: I made it a point to ask a lot of questions instead of making assumptions. Regular 1:1s with engineers, designers, and data scientists to absorb knowledge, understand how they think, and what drives them. Try asking questions from a tone of curiosity rather than defensiveness. It is a win-win, every time.
3. Influence without authority
As a PM, you guide teams, make decisions, and drive outcomes all without formal authority. The design team, engineering team, and marketing don't report to you, yet you need to influence them all. This becomes especially challenging when working with cross-functional teams that have their own objectives and constraints.
What worked for me:
Be a forward thinker: Anticipate which teams would need to be involved well before execution began. By identifying collaboration points early and kicking off those conversations in advance, I was able to align priorities and timelines across teams more effectively. This helped avoid last-minute surprises and ensured that my product goals stayed in sync with broader team roadmaps.
Build trust through transparency: Be open about the reasoning behind your decisions. Clearly explain how they align with business goals and benefit the team.
Communicate: Consistent and thoughtful communication establishes the foundation of trust that enables influence without overstepping boundaries.
Understand limitations: Despite your best efforts, certain decisions may be beyond your influence. Recognizing these limitations prevents unnecessary frustration and helps maintain focus on areas where you can make meaningful impact.
4. The inevitable stress
The PM job is extremely stressful. Pressure comes from all directions. Tight deadlines, context-switching, competing priorities, limited resources, and the constant need to align teams and stakeholders.
Beyond day-to-day stress, there's long-term pressure too: managing multiple product lines, navigating powerful stakeholders, thinking years ahead, and keeping your team aligned with an evolving company strategy.
There's also the perception game. In product management, there's an unspoken expectation that you should display high conviction, be decisive, and appear in control at all times. The effort to constantly seem driven and "on top of it" can be just as exhausting as the job itself.
What worked for me:
Embrace not knowing: Normalize saying "I don't know" when appropriate. It’s not a weakness. It is intellectual honesty. Share what you do know, and loop in experts when needed. It builds trust and shows confidence in your ability to find the right answers. Also, the future belongs to those who can act without having all the answers.
Develop emotional fitness: Take long walks. Block time for deep work. Create space for reflection. Build a resilient mind that can tolerate stress and bounce back quickly. Mental resilience is your competitive advantage.
Be protective about your time: Learn to politely say no to meetings or asks that don’t align with your priorities. This is normal and healthy. In fact, many effective PMs do this regularly.
5. The communication challenge
Communication is one of the hardest parts of product management. It’s not just about writing PRDs or sending status updates. It’s about aligning stakeholders, translating across functions, and making sure people actually understand each other.
When communication breaks down, things fall through the cracks. Context gets lost. Decisions get revisited. Work gets duplicated. Most importantly, trust erodes and without trust, even great products struggle to ship.
PMs live in the middle of it all. You’re translating business goals for engineers, technical details for execs, and user needs for everyone. With constant changes, siloed teams, and too many inputs, it’s easy for things to get misinterpreted—or ignored entirely. Add the emotional layer (stakeholders want to feel heard, engineers want clarity, leadership wants certainty), and the risk of misalignment grows fast.
What worked for me:
Establish clear communication channels: Create structured updates and feedback loops. Make it obvious where decisions are made, how input is gathered, and where people can go for clarity.
Set expectations early and often: Be explicit. What are we doing, why now, who owns what, and what does success look like? Don't assume people are on the same page—get them there.
Practice listening: It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly easy to get wrong. I've definitely struggled with it myself. Focus on truly understanding the other person. Reflect back what you’ve heard to confirm you're aligned. Ask clarifying questions to dig deeper. When people feel genuinely heard, they’re far more likely to engage constructively even if they don’t fully agree.
Be concise and structured: Rambling creates confusion. Prepare your thoughts. Communicate with clarity and record yourself during meetings. The clearer you are, the more people trust your thinking.
Write things down: Document key decisions, rationale, and action items. This reduces memory gaps and builds a shared source of truth.
6. Emotional fatigue and team dynamics
The emotional energy required especially when facing implicit blame or needing to push reluctant teams can be draining. You are responsible for keep things moving while navigating the nuances of interpersonal dynamics that arises due to the cross-functional nature of the role. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your push to maintain momentum might upset team members.
What worked for me:
Build strong relationships: Take time to understand your cross-functional partners' challenges, acknowledge their contributions, and communicate openly.
Create psychological safety: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable voicing concerns and offering ideas without fear of judgment. As a PM, you can lead by example by being the first to open up and set the tone, so your counterparts feel comfortable doing the same.
Rituals: Try icebreaker questions before diving into meetings with your development team. These moments of personal connection can defuse tension. Don’t overthink your rituals; experiment and see what sticks.
Make PM friends: Acknowledge the emotional challenges of the role and seek support from other PMs who understand the unique pressures you face.
Final Note
Despite all its challenges, product management remains one of the most fulfilling roles in tech. Few positions offer the same mix of strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and the ability to make a real impact. When you see users benefiting from something you helped shape, the stress and ambiguity fade into the background. At its core, the product manager’s job is to create the right conditions for great products to come to life.
For anyone who loves solving meaningful problems, collaborating across disciplines, and learning on the steepest curve possible, product management offers a deeply rewarding path. The journey isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely worth it.