Master decision making

I believe decision making is the single most important skill for a Product Manager to master.

Now, you may be thinking—what about strategy, leadership, business acumen, communication, or technical fluency? All of these skills matter, but in my experience, they all depend on your ability to consistently make great decisions. Decision making is the bedrock that determines whether those complementary skills shine or fall flat.

Here’s why:

1. Strategy depends on deciding what to research, how long to spend on it, and ultimately what approach to recommend.

2. Leadership is shaped by the choices you make every day in how you show up for yourself and the team.

3. Communication is built on deciding what to share, how to frame it, and even what to hold back.

Every PM knows the stress of a big launch or an unhappy customer. But the truth is, you rarely get fired for one big wrong decision. What really derails a PM is the thousands of small decisions leading up to that moment. From copy suggestions, to backlog prioritization, to customer call prep—each one nudges your product toward success or failure.

When I reflect on my own days, I’m often surprised by how many decisions I make in just a few hours. Some take seconds, others minutes, and a few stretch into days. Over time, I’ve realized I rely on my own internal framework for decision making—something we all have, whether we’re aware of it or not.

If you’re not getting the outcomes you want as a PM, it’s worth examining how you make decisions. Once you understand your process, you’ll start to see where you can sharpen it—and that’s where growth begins.

That’s why I believe decision making is the foundation skill above all others. Get this right, and every other skill has a chance to flourish.

If this resonates, follow along—I’ll be sharing the framework I use to strengthen my decision making in an upcoming post.