Product leadership best practices: What I'd actually run

Product leadership best practices: What I’d actually run

Last updated: September 21, 2026

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Product leadership, to me, is making better product decisions more often—and multiplying that through other PMs.

Practices I'd keep

Write down the strategy in one page people can argue with
Separate opinions from evidence in reviews
Coach in public artifacts (roadmaps, specs), not only 1:1 vibes
Kill work early when the bet is wrong
Protect focus time for discovery, not only delivery theater

Cadence that helps

Ritual	Purpose
Weekly priorities	Force tradeoffs
Spec/roadmap review	Raise the floor
Retro on decisions	Learn, don't blame
Hiring loop	Keep the bar real

I'd skip motivational posters. Leaders show judgment under constraint.

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Clement Kao

Clement Kao is Co-Founder of Product Manager HQ. He was previously a Principal Product Manager at Blend, an enterprise technology company that is inventing a simpler and more transparent consumer lending experience while ensuring broader access for all types of borrowers.