Solving the Right Problems
Do we have conviction that we’re solving the right problems, the right way?
When AI made it easier to build, something else also got harder. In a recent conversation, the Head of Engineering at a major logistics company shared this with me and Amit S.:
“We can spin up agents, workflows, tools, so many things feel possible now. But do we have conviction that we’re solving the right problems, the right way?”
The team wasn’t short on ideas.
They weren’t lacking resources.
They just didn’t feel confident that what they were building would actually matter.
Because when AI lowers the cost of trying, the temptation is to try everything.
And when that happens, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of local optimization, point solutions, automation for automation’s sake, scattered efforts across teams.
Each one feels productive.
But together, they don’t always ladder up to real biz value.
What they were really asking for wasn’t a roadmap or a framework.
It was conviction.
Conviction that they were heading in the right direction, not just building faster.
Conviction that the business would trust the “why” behind the tech.
Conviction that the PMs and Eng leaders knew how to guide teams through the uncertainty, and align around the outcomes that truly matter.
This is the kind of work Amit and I love most.
Not one-off training. Not lectures from a playbook.
But the strategic coaching that builds real product leadership in the places where conviction is currently missing, and actually help teams get stuck.
Actually doing it with them and not just tell them.
I’ve been partnering with Amit S. to help orgs build strategic PMs with AI-First Product Craft who can lead in uncertainty, based on our experiences coaching AI PMs from Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco.
If you’re thinking of up-leveling your Product teams, comment and we will respond. You can also send me a DM on LinkedIn.