This is Leading in Product.
Product leadership for the moments that matter: tradeoffs, incentives, and the messy middle between strategy and execution.
Most product advice fails exactly when you need it most: when priorities collide, stakeholders pull in different directions, and the roadmap turns into a negotiation.
This publication is about that intersection where product management and modern leadership actually happen.
Hi, I’m Benedikt, a product leader in tech. I’ve spent most of my career across software product management and people leadership.
Who this is for
This newsletter is for:
Senior PMs who want sharper judgment, stronger influence, and better operating rhythms
PMs growing into Senior who want to accelerate their scope, autonomy, and impact
Product Leaders (Group PM, Director, Head of Product) building teams and systems that consistently deliver outcomes
What you’ll get
I write concise, practical pieces on:
Vision, strategy, and roadmaps that actually drive decisions
Operating models, team structure, and collaboration patterns
Leading without authority, stakeholder management, and alignment
Coaching, managing, and developing product teams
Product craft for real-world constraints across Cloud, SaaS, platforms, mobile, and connected solutions
My point of view
Product is a leadership function, not a feature factory
Strategy is only real if it changes what you say no to
Great teams are designed, not “hired into existence”
Influence is a core skill, especially without formal authority
What readers and peers have said:
“Excellent actionable product advice for product managers!”
— Amy Mitchell, Product Management IRL
“Benedikt is thought-provoking. He will point to common practices and help you understand why they distract you instead of enabling growth.”
— David Pereira, Untrapping Product Teams
“Leading in Product is a hidden gem in the world of product management and leadership.”
— Elena Calvillo, Product Release Notes
“Benedikt has a great take on actionable ways product managers can improve their team’s and their own day-to-day lives.”
— Mike Watson, Product Party
AI Usage
I believe in being fully transparent about my use of AI. All ideas and concepts shared here are grounded in my personal experience. I use AI to help structure my thoughts and, because English is not my native language, to refine the phrasing. However, the core content of this Substack is entirely original, stemming from my own professional background and collaborative exchanges with peers.
Accordingly, I declare the content of Leading in Product as Level 2 under the AI transparency framework.
Subscribe
If you want a steady signal (not noise) delivered every two weeks, subscribe to get new posts in your inbox.
Want to get real-time help?
Check out https://www.digital-product-management.com. I read a lot of articles and keep the very best ones there, all sorted and tagged.
Support this newsletter
I’m on Buy Me A Coffee, so if you’d like to support my work, I’d greatly appreciate it!
You can also support this work in Gumroad, including a PayPal option.
The newsletter is free.
