- Another PM Day
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- How to be more strategic
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Hello Product Leaders!
In today’s issue, we’ll focus on how to be more strategic with some tips and frameworks about how to build this memory muscle daily.
This is how I break it down:
My favorite finds
🛠️ Tools
Surfsite organizes data from your work apps, letting you quickly find information, plan product releases, and track KPIs all in one place.
With Brainnote, a powerful voice-to-text to structure and capture your ideas
Save hours per week for PMs with an AI-powered PDR Generator (beta)
📰 News
Listen to NVIDIA CEO’s interview on making major scientific discoveries in 6 months instead of 25 years of reasoning time
Fantastic read on the perils and opportunities of AI regulation from the unrivaled genius of Stephen Frey.
Death Clock predicts your life expectancy based on your habits and provides suggestions to help you live longer (Just because I’m obsessed with health hacks).
👀 ICYMI
Deep Dive - How to Think More Strategically
Why should you care?
As product managers or future leaders, the number one thing that matters is Increasing Impact!
There’s only one way, becoming more strategic over time.
How to do it? Read on.
Let me tell you about Sam (not his real name, but it could easily be).
Sam's a stellar product manager at a big tech company. He’s been in the role for about five years, hitting all his deadlines and keeping his dev team running smoothly.
His team loves him, but his boss keeps throwing out the same feedback:
"You need to think more strategically, Sam."
Sam is confused and a bit frustrated. He says to me, “I’m doing everything right. What am I missing?”
I explain that being strategic isn’t just about doing things well—it’s about focusing on the right things. It's like Sam’s been perfectly organizing deck chairs on a sinking ship, when what he really needs to do is steer the ship away from danger.
Sam's current approach goes something like this:
“We’ve got a project, and we’re going to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and deliver ahead of schedule. We'll stick to agile methods, hold daily stand-ups, and create detailed project plans. It’s going to be great!”
While that sounds solid, it’s all about execution.
There’s no big-picture thinking.
It’s like he’s following a road map but without a clear destination. I tell him it’s time to shift his focus from "how" to "why" and "what if."
Let’s dive in.
1- Big Bicture View
Zoom Out, Align Up
Why is it hard?
The big Big Picture view is hard to embrace because we’re conditioned to solve immediate problems rather than pause and assess the big picture and focus son solving the ACTUAL problem.
We practiced looking at projects from a higher level. Instead of getting lost in details,
Sam learned to ask:
How does this project fit with company goals?
What market trends could impact it?
What are our competitors thinking right now?
Observe leaders in your organizations and you will notice the same patterns. I guarantee.
2- The "So What?" Test
Question Forward
Why is it hard?
The "So What?" test sounds logical, but in practice, constantly questioning actions feels like slowing down progress and bothering others—when in reality, it sharpens focus to the real issue or value.
Ask "So What?": For every decision, we asked “So what?” multiple times (almost like the famous 5 Whys). This pushed Sam to tie his actions to much bigger results.
For example:
We’re launching a new feature. So what?
It’ll boost user engagement. So what?
Higher engagement improves retention. So what?
Better retention increases lifetime value, lowers acquisition costs, and strengthens our market position.
3- Future-Back Approach
Now let’s walk backward.
Why is it hard?
Asking us to think in reverse, a counterintuitive leap for anyone accustomed to moving step by step.
So with Sam, we shifted from planning forward to envisioning the desired future and working backward.
This helped Sam think long-term and focus on the key steps for success.
At first, Sam struggled to adjust, being used to detail work. But as he practiced, his thinking started to evolve.
He began talking less like a product manager and more like a business leader:
“Our new feature isn't just about boosting engagement; it's about positioning us as the go-to platform. We’re improving retention and paving the way for market expansion in the next 18-24 months, aligning with our CEO's vision to double market share by 2025.”
The shift in Sam’s thinking was noticeable.
His boss saw the difference—Sam wasn’t just managing projects; he was seeing the bigger picture and contributing to strategic discussions (while executing ruthlessly)
Being strategic doesn’t mean ditching your tactical skills.
It’s about seeing things from a higher level—like moving from playing checkers to chess.
Remembering those 3 principles is EASY.
The challenge? These strategic moves require us to let go of the very habits that made us successful in the first place.
So next time you hear “be more strategic,” step back and ask: Am I playing checkers when I should be playing chess?
Your move, strategist!
Until next time!
Key Takeaways
Becoming more strategic means shifting from detailed execution to big-picture thinking.
Big Picture: Zoom Out, Align Up
Look at things from a high-level view to see how they fit into the bigger pictureUse the "So what?" Question Forward
Connect your actions to larger business outcomes.Vision Backtrack – Start with your desired future state and work backwards to identify the critical steps.