Taking charge of a product management team can feel like juggling flaming torches—thrilling, but also risky if you don’t have the right game plan. In our latest Productside webinar, Becoming an Effective Product Management Leader, Principal Consultants Roger Snyder and Kenny Kranseler delivered a no-nonsense roadmap for new leaders who want to nail their first 90 days (and beyond) — and get the tools on how to become a product management leader—effectively.
Below, we’ll walk you through their three-phase approach (observe, align, deliver), weave in key insights from the live Q&A—where folks asked everything from “What if my CEO micro-manages the roadmap?” to “How do I handle a small team with no processes?”—and share some proven templates from our PM Leader First 90 Days Pack to set you up for success.
Why the First 90 Days Matter
When you lead a new product team, your opening move sets the tone. Stakeholders watch to see if you’ll actually listen. Your product managers wonder if you’ll champion them. Executives want faster ROI, not more overhead.
That’s why Roger and Kenny break down the initial three months into these chunks:
1. Days 1–30: Observe and Understand
2. Days 31–60: Align Strategy and Team
3. Days 61–90: Deliver Early Wins and Refine
One audience member admitted: “Our C-level execs are so impatient. They want everything done yesterday and hate waiting for real planning.”
Roger’s advice: “You can’t walk in on Day 1 and say, ‘I’m ignoring you for 60 days.’ But you also can’t let them hijack your entire approach. Instead, pick a few high-visibility quick wins and keep them updated on your progress. That way, they see you delivering and planning effectively.”
Days 1–30: Observe and Understand
Goals
- Build Real Stakeholder Relationships
- Assess Team Skills and Roles
- Evaluate the Product Portfolio’s Health
Kenny and Roger both say this: resist immediate overhauls. The biggest trap is to “fix everything” before you even know what’s broken or who’s on your side. Instead:
- Fill Your Calendar with intros—from sales directors to back-end dev leads.
- Meet Each PM individually to see where they’re swamped or excelling.
- Document issues or friction points.
What if your team only respects hierarchies? One attendee asked: “We’ve got a culture that ignores you unless you’re a VP. How do I make a difference?”
Roger recommended leveraging your boss: “Bring your data and plan to your supervisor. Let them sponsor your efforts at first—like a borrowed VP badge. Once you deliver a success, you’ll earn your own clout.”
Recommended Template: Stakeholder Engagement Plan
From our PM Leader First 90 Days Pack, this matrix helps you sort out each stakeholder’s influence, interest, and how to turn them into supporters. If your environment “only respects big titles,” it’s even more critical to spot key allies early.
Another Q: “We’re building internal platforms for bigger products—same approach?”
Roger: “Absolutely. If your ‘buyer’ is another product manager, treat them like an external customer. Segment them, identify their struggles, deliver targeted benefits. The principle stays the same.”
Days 31–60: Align Strategy and Team
Goals
- Refine or Create an Outcome-Focused Roadmap
- Strengthen Team Capabilities
- Continue to Build Stakeholder Buy-In
By now, you’ve mapped out the biggest gaps: maybe no one updates competitive analysis, or user interviews are an afterthought. This is your moment to lock in quick strategic changes.
One participant worried: “Leadership is anti-product. They’re purely engineering-driven, ignoring everything we say. Advice?”
Roger’s take: “Win them over with real user insights. Their biggest complaint is usually that product managers ‘add no value.’ Show them the data they lack. If they see your decisions are driven by actual market feedback, you’ll start earning trust.”
Early Wins: Show You Mean Business
Kenny emphasizes small, visible victories. If your team’s drowning in random feature requests, standardize intake or at least introduce a triage process. Or if your dev team never sees market data, start a quick ‘monthly market update.’ These small hits prove you’re not “just overhead.”
Q: “My CEO micromanages our roadmap weekly. Do I push back?”
Roger: “Never say flat ‘no.’ A direct ‘no’ can trigger personal battles. Investigate their request with quick user feedback. Show data. You transition from ‘edicts from above’ to a collaborative, data-driven approach—one conversation at a time.”
Q: “Multiple stakeholders want everything now. How do I handle the backlog from all directions?”
Kenny: “Use a short list of top product outcomes or OKRs—maybe ‘reduce churn 15%.’ Then evaluate each request against that yardstick. Even if some folks don’t get their requests in, they’ll respect your clarity. It’s not random denial; it’s outcomes-based prioritization.”
Recommended Templates
- Product Strategy & Roadmap Review: Uncover your biggest alignment gaps. Realign your roadmap to your business goals, not random squeaky wheels.
- Team Values & Vision: If you inherited a scattered crew, anchor them with a unifying statement—this shapes how you collaborate, decide, and deliver.
Days 61–90: Deliver Early Wins, Improve Processes
Goals
- Implement or Upgrade Your Product Life Cycle
- Elevate Team Vision and Culture
- Prove You’re Driving Real ROI
No more “Wild West.” If each PM uses a different backlog tool or delivers minimal user discovery, unify that. The 90-day mark is where you show you’re serious about processes—especially if you’re operating in something like SAFe.
One audience member using SAFe said: “I can’t tell management I’m doing nothing for 60 days; we have 90-day PIs!”
Roger: “Exactly. You keep the lights on—honor your existing cycles—but you also do your behind-the-scenes discovery. Show small improvements in the first sprints to prove you’re not ignoring them. Meanwhile, gather the deep insights for bigger changes in your next PI.”
Handling Tensions & Growth
Q: “We had a new product built in silos, zero product engagement. Now I’m blamed for poor growth. Any tips?”
Roger: “Own what you can control now: do a crash-course in user discovery, confirm if the product meets real needs, and present findings to leaders. Make it crystal clear: ‘We can pivot or add these features that truly matter.’ That’s how you turn a fiasco into a salvageable win.”
Q: “We have 27 stakeholders who never align. It’s ‘What’s in it for me?’ every time.”
Kenny: “You can’t please them all, so unify them around outcomes. Host a stakeholder alignment session, present 3–4 business outcomes, and show how each stakeholder’s ask ties in. If something doesn’t tie in, they see it. The conversation becomes data-driven, not political.”
Common Leader Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
During the webinar’s final half, Roger and Kenny addressed a few curveballs from the audience.
1. Decisions Happen Without You
Symptom: Eng or Marketing sets all priorities.
Solution: Offer them real user insights or competitor knowledge. They’ll see your team as a strategy engine, not overhead.
2. Leadership Wants Massive Layoffs
Symptom: Boss says, “Fire half your product team.”
Solution: Use your 30-day intel. Identify genuine underperformers or culture toxins. Don’t just slash blindly; partner with HR. Make your data-based case if half is truly overkill.
3. HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) Takes Over
Symptom: The CEO unleashes random feature demands.
Solution: A direct “no” is a fight. Instead, run a quick check with user data. Show them evidence of what actually benefits the market.
4. Staffing with Contractors vs. Employees
Symptom: Unsure if short-term contractors can be trusted with long-haul product decisions.
Solution: Contractors can fill immediate gaps, but for core product leadership, stable employees who carry domain expertise and relationships may be better. Use contractors for short, specialized tasks—like user testing or a big platform migration—but keep strategic continuity in-house.
5. Product Manager Fired, Engineer Takes Over “Part-Time”
Symptom: The only product person got axed, so your dev lead is forced to do product tasks in “spare time.”
Solution: That’s rarely sustainable. If it’s short-term, clarify how to manage priorities. Try scoping out immediate product tasks that can’t be ignored—like user discovery, backlog grooming—then push for hiring or training so you’re not half-doing two big roles.
Final Takeaways
1. Don’t Overhaul Too Soon
Spend that first month listening and mapping landmines.
2. Align on Outcomes
Clarify your biggest product or business goals. Use them to triage requests.
3. Show Early Impact
Rally the team around small, high-visibility wins that prove your leadership is worth following.
4. Evolve Relationships Deliberately
Use data to convert skeptics. Manage the CEO or execs by turning their “edicts” into user-validated actions.
5. Invest in Process & Culture
Standardizing a product life cycle or clarifying values sets your team up for sustained success.
“Patience and persistence—one conversation at a time—can turn even a chaotic environment into a product-led success story.” – Roger Snyder
Get the 90-Day Pack to Start Delivering Results from Day One
Ready to rock your first 90 days (or your next 90 if you’ve been stalling)? Download our PM Leader First 90 Days Pack—an 88-page bundle brimming with frameworks, templates, and checklists. From stakeholder alignment to the ultimate product strategy review, it’s your backstage pass to leading with clarity and authority.
- Download our PM Leader First 90 Days template pack for instantly usable checklists, stakeholder engagement plans, and AI-powered prompts—everything you need to turn observations into impact right out of the gate.
- Watch our next webinar for expert insight and guidance to help refine your product management processes.
- Enroll in our Optimal Product Management course to solidify your leadership chops. From refining roadmaps to aligning with executive vision, you’ll learn how to orchestrate your entire product function around real business outcomes.
What’s been your biggest roadblock in establishing credibility as a product management leader? Share your thoughts in the comments or connect with us on LinkedIn.
