Recently, I spoke with a GPM at a B2B SaaS company about a challenge that frequently comes up in mentorship sessions: navigating a dynamic where senior leaders - industry veterans - heavily influence the roadmap. The usual tension between empowered teams and roadmaps that feel like to-do lists.
On one hand, senior leadership with deep expertise can be a superpower. They understand the market, customers, and business like the back of their hand. On the flip side, these “assets” can quickly become “liabilities,” driving top-down mandates that undermine team ownership, creativity, and morale…it also leads to poor outcomes in the long run. Nothing more dangerous than shipping for the sake of optics to please execs (topic for another post).
Here’s what we unpacked:
✦ Top-down influence isn’t always bad: A senior leader with business acumen is better than a disengaged stakeholder IMO. The key is finding ways to create space for your voice along the way.
✦ Leverage their expertise: Tap into their knowledge to crisp up the problem statement and pressure-test solutions. Make them allies in decision-making, but always show up with your own perspective.
✦ Manage up with data and stories: Balance their intuition with evidence from users (both qualitative and quantitative), competitors, and industry benchmarks. It’s less about being right and more about guiding the team from A to B - and running with B as the new source of truth.
Ending with a hot take: If you’re still married to the idea that PMs are the “CEOs of the product” (whatever that even means), you’re setting yourself up for endless frustration. Pick your battles, win a few, be happy - life’s too short.
What’s been your experience navigating top-down mandates? How have you struck the balance between influence and autonomy?
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