The Imposter in the Planning Meeting

Can We Skip To The Good Part?

So, let's be honest. You've been living a lie.

Someone, somewhere, told you that you're the "CEO of the product." You swallowed it hook, line, and sinker because it felt good. It was a shot of fake empowerment, a title that sounded important.

But it's a trap. And it's the reason you feel like an imposter in your own team.

That title crumbles the second you're in a room with an engineering team that doesn't report to you. Your real job isn't giving orders; it's earning trust. It's building influence.

It’s been a minute since I last wrote here. I hit pause because I needed to take a step back and take a peep into why so many product teams are struggling. To figure out what's missing, what's inadequate, and how we can build better products beyond the well crafted LinkedIn post.

The best teams I've ever seen run on a simple, powerful idea: a balanced partnership between a Product Manager (that's you), a Designer, and a Tech Lead. You bring the customer. The designer brings the user. The tech lead brings the reality of how to build the thing.

When that partnership clicks, it’s magic. But what happens when it doesn't?

You know the moment. The conversation shifts. The language changes. You start hearing about microservices, API contracts, and tech debt. And you start nodding, hoping no one asks for your opinion on the trade-offs.

That right there? That’s the gap. It’s the space between knowing what the user needs and understanding how it gets built.

My time away wasn't a vacation. It was a revelation. Closing this gap is the most important work we can do.

So, I'm back. And this is our project now: to forge that link, together.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to teach you how to code. I’m going to do something more important: teach you how to think like an engineer. We'll pull back the curtain and give you the vocabulary to not just follow along, but to contribute. To be the strategic partner your tech lead has always wanted.

Let's start here. I want to know what you've been nodding along to.

What's the one technical thing you're tired of pretending to understand?

Drop it in the comments. The real work starts now.