Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 2h

When leadership says “We’re going after enterprise,” you don’t need to argue.
You just need to map readiness.

Start with:

A capability checklist → what’s in place vs. missing

A maturity model → where you stand today

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 1d

Risks circle back. Decisions move forward.

The small shift that made product work calmer (and faster):
Stop Logging Risks. Start Driving Decisions.

Stop Logging Risks. Start Driving Decisions.

The tool that helps product managers escape endless alignment battles

buff.ly

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 2d

It’s easy to see maturity work as “slowing growth.”
But when your product isn’t quite ready, growth pressure just exposes the cracks faster.

A simple maturity model helps you tie those cracks to business outcomes

It reframes maturity as a growth enabler, not a detour.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 3d

When your peers talk “next big bets,” do you quietly think, “our product isn’t quite ready for prime time”?

Most product managers do — but we don’t say it out loud.

A capability checklist gives that fear language.

Buy Back Time to Grow

How to Strengthen You Product Without Losing Momentum

buff.ly

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 5d

"The most interesting careers look like expanding influence - product thinking applied to increasingly complex organizational challenges."

www.productparty.us/p/the-produc...

The product management job everyone wants might not exist.

Why successful companies distribute product work instead of hiring traditional product people.

www.productparty.us

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 6d

Early in your career, success means getting things done yourself.
Later, it means making your work easier for others to build on.

Work alone if you want to move fast.
But if you want the work to stick, bring your team along.

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 7d

Fast-moving product managers often hear “collaborate more” and think “slow down.”
But good collaboration amplifies your independence—it doesn’t dilute it.

1. Plan for handoffs early

2. Share progress asynchronously

3. Ask for small inputs, not full-time partners

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 8d

The biggest reason product ideas die?

Not bad data — good data, told badly.

Hodman Murad shares what product managers can do differently.

She walks through a consultant’s approach to turning analytics into a product narrative that drives executive conviction.

From Data Points to Storylines

Architecting Unshakeable Product Business Cases

buff.ly

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 8d

Great article! Thank you for the 5 dysfunctions of product teams. My post was about keeping your team involved instead of doing product management alone. Product leadership is key to productive collaboration! Here's the article: amycmitchell.substack.com/p/solo-produ...

The Silent Strain of Solo Product Managers

When brilliant work leads to breakdowns

amycmitchell.substack.com

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 9d

The system makes it easy for product managers to work alone:

💨 High growth = speed over coordination
📉 Flat orgs = stretched managers
🔁 Vague ownership = unclear boundaries

The fix isn’t more meetings.
It’s a few small habits that keep others close—without slowing you down.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 10d

The product manager who thrives in chaos. Moves fast. Takes full ownership.

Until one day, everyone else is waiting for that product manager.

Working alone isn’t the problem.
It’s forgetting to bring the team along that turns autonomy into cleanup.

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 12d

Do you need to have every answer?
Phrases for product managers instead of all the answers:
💠 Here's what I'm seeing and what I'm still figuring out.
💠 What would make this feel like a win for you?
💠 Here's what we can do right now and what we'll reassess later.

buff.ly/vQ1MzYt

Leading Through Language

How Simple Phrases Build Trust, Influence, and Collaboration

edgeleadership.substack.com

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 13d

How do you know you’re leveling up from PM → GM?
You stop asking only: “What’s the next feature?”
And start asking: How do revenue, cost, and usage connect?

This is the playbook:
Blind spots → Mental models → Operational tools → Coordination.

That’s how product managers become business leaders.

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 13d

Agree! Since reading it I push myself to evolve my AI use and thinking.

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 14d

Being promoted “in place” isn’t about control.
It’s about coordination.

New mindset: I orchestrate system outcomes.

You’re no longer judged by features shipped.
You’re judged by whether sales, finance, ops, and product can all move forward together.

That’s when you start being a business leader.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 15d

Urgency isn’t a fire drill.
It’s a leadership test.

Here’s a playbook for product managers to adjust instead of react.
amycmitchell.substack.com/p/handling-u...

From Reacting to Adjusting

Practical steps for product managers to manage urgency without losing quality or credibility

amycmitchell.substack.com

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 16d

Think you’re just managing your product?
Check again—you might already be running the business.

Some blind spots:

💠 Obsessing over business metrics without fixing operations
💠 Pushing decisions before alignment
💠 Ignoring team design bottlenecks

Systems thinking can help you.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 17d

Product managers everywhere are being “promoted” without notice.
Not with a new title.
Not with a new paycheck.
But with new responsibility.

Your boss steps away. Your cross-functional team looks to you. Suddenly you’re running the business, not just the backlog.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 19d

AI usage stages:

Stage 1: AI as a Tool
Simple transactions

Stage 2: AI as Assistants
Ask very specific questions

Stage 3: AI as Collaborators
Meaningful dialogue.

Stage 4: AI as Autonomous Agents
AI executes multi-step workflows

My ChatGPT Breakthrough Came When I Stopped Bossing It Around

The 4 stages that separate AI leaders from AI strugglers

buff.ly

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 20d

How Real Growth Starts
Don’t treat new opportunities like a pitch.
Treat them like a campaign.
Small wins build momentum. Finance and execs become allies.
That’s how product managers turn a question mark into real growth.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 21d

Why “Customer Demand” Isn’t Enough
Product manager truth: not every important opportunity comes from customer requests.
Sometimes you see it first.
The art is teaching your org to believe in a future they can’t see yet.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 22d

Ever orchestrated the perfect plan… only to watch it stall?

I’ve been there. And I’ve found that orchestration alone doesn’t deliver results. Without inspiration, teams tune out.

5 ways to turn motion into momentum.

The Execution Trap for Product Managers

Pairing orchestration with inspiration to earn follow-through

buff.ly

Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 23d

Executives only ask three questions about your opportunity:

- Is it big enough to matter?

- How is it different from today’s business?

- Why now, not later?

If you don’t prep for these, your idea never makes it past “interesting.”

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 24d

The Hidden Roadmap Item
Every product manager has seen it:
That opportunity just outside your roadmap — too big to ignore, too risky to grab.
The real job? Leading others there, one step at a time.

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Amy Mitchell @amycmitchell.bsky.social · 24d

Yes, it’s about keeping yourself going!