Paul Crosby Product Manager
@irishbearguy.bsky.social
Transforming organizations into top performing product centric organizations. Fortune 100 product manager and consultant. Product coach, product manager, thought leader, speaker, author.
In 5 years, the competitive difference won't be who has the smartest PMs. Both sides will.
The difference will be who can see their entire product ecosystem and move cohesively within it.
What's the visibility gap in your organization? bit.ly/4qq3egi
The difference will be who can see their entire product ecosystem and move cohesively within it.
What's the visibility gap in your organization? bit.ly/4qq3egi
The Hidden Bottleneck Nobody Talks About: Why Your Product Catalog Is Your Roadmap to…
You probably have no idea how many products your organization actually has.
bit.ly
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
In 5 years, the competitive difference won't be who has the smartest PMs. Both sides will.
The difference will be who can see their entire product ecosystem and move cohesively within it.
What's the visibility gap in your organization? bit.ly/4qq3egi
The difference will be who can see their entire product ecosystem and move cohesively within it.
What's the visibility gap in your organization? bit.ly/4qq3egi
We talk about empowering PMs: give them autonomy, trust, decision-making authority.
But we often do this while keeping them blind to their own organization's product landscape.
That's not empowerment. That's empowerment with one hand while constraining with the other.
Thread (5/6)
But we often do this while keeping them blind to their own organization's product landscape.
That's not empowerment. That's empowerment with one hand while constraining with the other.
Thread (5/6)
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
We talk about empowering PMs: give them autonomy, trust, decision-making authority.
But we often do this while keeping them blind to their own organization's product landscape.
That's not empowerment. That's empowerment with one hand while constraining with the other.
Thread (5/6)
But we often do this while keeping them blind to their own organization's product landscape.
That's not empowerment. That's empowerment with one hand while constraining with the other.
Thread (5/6)
Novice chess players focus on their piece and immediate threats. Expert chess players see the entire board.
Most PMs are playing chess while only seeing three squares in front of them.
Visibility isn't about control. It's about playing the whole game.
Thread (4/6)
Most PMs are playing chess while only seeing three squares in front of them.
Visibility isn't about control. It's about playing the whole game.
Thread (4/6)
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Novice chess players focus on their piece and immediate threats. Expert chess players see the entire board.
Most PMs are playing chess while only seeing three squares in front of them.
Visibility isn't about control. It's about playing the whole game.
Thread (4/6)
Most PMs are playing chess while only seeing three squares in front of them.
Visibility isn't about control. It's about playing the whole game.
Thread (4/6)
PMs who rebuild something that already exists is operating without full information.
Every missed partnership opportunity = invisible constraint.
Every strategic decision made in isolation = organizational invisibility at work.
Product visibility isn't bureaucracy. It's empowerment.
Thread (3/6)
Every missed partnership opportunity = invisible constraint.
Every strategic decision made in isolation = organizational invisibility at work.
Product visibility isn't bureaucracy. It's empowerment.
Thread (3/6)
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
PMs who rebuild something that already exists is operating without full information.
Every missed partnership opportunity = invisible constraint.
Every strategic decision made in isolation = organizational invisibility at work.
Product visibility isn't bureaucracy. It's empowerment.
Thread (3/6)
Every missed partnership opportunity = invisible constraint.
Every strategic decision made in isolation = organizational invisibility at work.
Product visibility isn't bureaucracy. It's empowerment.
Thread (3/6)
A mid-level PM was building a customer onboarding feature. One hallway conversation revealed: her organization had already built that same capability 4 different ways across 4 different product lines.
She had no idea. She was optimizing locally while blind to the bigger picture.
Thread (2/6)
She had no idea. She was optimizing locally while blind to the bigger picture.
Thread (2/6)
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
A mid-level PM was building a customer onboarding feature. One hallway conversation revealed: her organization had already built that same capability 4 different ways across 4 different product lines.
She had no idea. She was optimizing locally while blind to the bigger picture.
Thread (2/6)
She had no idea. She was optimizing locally while blind to the bigger picture.
Thread (2/6)
When business and technology speak the same language about products:
✓ Portfolio clarity improves ✓ Prioritization gets faster ✓ Resource allocation becomes transparent ✓ Cross-functional collaboration actually works ✓ Cycle times compress
Product alignment is a competitive advantage.
✓ Portfolio clarity improves ✓ Prioritization gets faster ✓ Resource allocation becomes transparent ✓ Cross-functional collaboration actually works ✓ Cycle times compress
Product alignment is a competitive advantage.
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
When business and technology speak the same language about products:
✓ Portfolio clarity improves ✓ Prioritization gets faster ✓ Resource allocation becomes transparent ✓ Cross-functional collaboration actually works ✓ Cycle times compress
Product alignment is a competitive advantage.
✓ Portfolio clarity improves ✓ Prioritization gets faster ✓ Resource allocation becomes transparent ✓ Cross-functional collaboration actually works ✓ Cycle times compress
Product alignment is a competitive advantage.
We didn't impose a definition. We co-created one.
Define: 1️⃣ The Product = customer outcome 2️⃣ The Platform = technical systems enabling it 3️⃣ Dependencies = organizational functions required
Simple. Collaborative. Shared.
Portfolio planning went from 2-3 weeks to 1 week. 5/6
Define: 1️⃣ The Product = customer outcome 2️⃣ The Platform = technical systems enabling it 3️⃣ Dependencies = organizational functions required
Simple. Collaborative. Shared.
Portfolio planning went from 2-3 weeks to 1 week. 5/6
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
We didn't impose a definition. We co-created one.
Define: 1️⃣ The Product = customer outcome 2️⃣ The Platform = technical systems enabling it 3️⃣ Dependencies = organizational functions required
Simple. Collaborative. Shared.
Portfolio planning went from 2-3 weeks to 1 week. 5/6
Define: 1️⃣ The Product = customer outcome 2️⃣ The Platform = technical systems enabling it 3️⃣ Dependencies = organizational functions required
Simple. Collaborative. Shared.
Portfolio planning went from 2-3 weeks to 1 week. 5/6
The moment that captures it perfectly:
Business: "We need to modernize the Prior Authorization Product."
Technology: "Which of the four backend systems are you talking about?"
Silence.
Business thought: one product. Technology knew: four tightly coupled systems. 4/6
Business: "We need to modernize the Prior Authorization Product."
Technology: "Which of the four backend systems are you talking about?"
Silence.
Business thought: one product. Technology knew: four tightly coupled systems. 4/6
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
The moment that captures it perfectly:
Business: "We need to modernize the Prior Authorization Product."
Technology: "Which of the four backend systems are you talking about?"
Silence.
Business thought: one product. Technology knew: four tightly coupled systems. 4/6
Business: "We need to modernize the Prior Authorization Product."
Technology: "Which of the four backend systems are you talking about?"
Silence.
Business thought: one product. Technology knew: four tightly coupled systems. 4/6
Technology teams saw products as architecture:
"Our products are: XYZ API, rules engine, data warehouse, audit logging infrastructure."
They understood constraints, dependencies, data flows.
But ask them why it matters to customers? No answer. That’s the second half of the problem. 3/6
"Our products are: XYZ API, rules engine, data warehouse, audit logging infrastructure."
They understood constraints, dependencies, data flows.
But ask them why it matters to customers? No answer. That’s the second half of the problem. 3/6
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Technology teams saw products as architecture:
"Our products are: XYZ API, rules engine, data warehouse, audit logging infrastructure."
They understood constraints, dependencies, data flows.
But ask them why it matters to customers? No answer. That’s the second half of the problem. 3/6
"Our products are: XYZ API, rules engine, data warehouse, audit logging infrastructure."
They understood constraints, dependencies, data flows.
But ask them why it matters to customers? No answer. That’s the second half of the problem. 3/6
Business saw products as outcomes:
“Retirement Investment Product" = capability that helps investors save for retirement.
They could articulate business value. They understood customer impact.
But ask them which systems actually implement it? That’s the first half of the problem. 2/6
“Retirement Investment Product" = capability that helps investors save for retirement.
They could articulate business value. They understood customer impact.
But ask them which systems actually implement it? That’s the first half of the problem. 2/6
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Business saw products as outcomes:
“Retirement Investment Product" = capability that helps investors save for retirement.
They could articulate business value. They understood customer impact.
But ask them which systems actually implement it? That’s the first half of the problem. 2/6
“Retirement Investment Product" = capability that helps investors save for retirement.
They could articulate business value. They understood customer impact.
But ask them which systems actually implement it? That’s the first half of the problem. 2/6
As a business owner I want support law but I’m trapped in the middle. Customers don’t come back when you have a situation with law enforcement in your business. They don’t feel safe. Business don’t speak up for fear of being charged with obstruction of justice.
November 23, 2025 at 10:05 PM
As a business owner I want support law but I’m trapped in the middle. Customers don’t come back when you have a situation with law enforcement in your business. They don’t feel safe. Business don’t speak up for fear of being charged with obstruction of justice.
Our laws need to change. A business can refuse consent for warrantless searches of non-public areas (offices), but actively obstructing federal law enforcement will get them sued. Sales floors and parking lots are open game as they are considered public. We gotta change this for business owners.
November 23, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Our laws need to change. A business can refuse consent for warrantless searches of non-public areas (offices), but actively obstructing federal law enforcement will get them sued. Sales floors and parking lots are open game as they are considered public. We gotta change this for business owners.