The role of the product manager as we’ve known it—focused only on strategy, prioritization, product and alignment—is disappearing. Not in five years. Not theoretically. Now. The shift is already underway inside tech—Microsoft, Amazon, Google and every Startup. And the people thriving in this new world? They’re not the ones clinging to swim lanes or optimizing roadmaps. They’re the ones embracing AI and becoming something new: makers . Ironically, the old-school “Program Managers” that originally existed—the scrappy, do-whatever-it-takes types—are closer to what’s needed today. The ones who build. The ones who ship. The Rise of the Maker Era While at Microsoft, one of my side projects involved driving AI adoption across teams. And one thing was unmistakably clear: this wasn’t a gentle suggestion from leadership. My interpretation: Use AI, or be left behind. This wasn’t hype. The shift was real. And once you truly lean into AI, your output changes dramatically. For m...
We've all experienced it —either asking or receiving a question that is answered with: “I want you to feel empowered.” It’s easy to say, but what does it really mean? Why did the person need to ask for input in the first place? Empowerment is a popular leadership buzzword, but it often falls short in practice. I’ve had moments where, despite my best intentions, my teams felt stuck, lost, or unable to perform because the right support wasn’t fully in place. Simply telling someone they’re empowered doesn’t magically create the conditions for it. Without the right tools, environment, and guidance, teams can quickly struggle. As project leaders, our role is to speed up decision-making, remove obstacles, and set our teams up for success—not leave them to navigate challenges alone. When your team asks for input, it’s not a lack of initiative. There's always an underlying reason. Instead of brushing it off with “I want you to feel empowered,” ask yourself: What’s stopping them from ac...