From tactical to strategic

Many of you have been in this scenario:

You promoted a few solid product managers. They ship features. They run standups. They keep the backlog tidy. By most definitions, they’re doing the job.

And yet… something’s missing.

They’re not thinking strategically. They’re not driving the product forward. You find yourself constantly stepping in to reframe priorities, connect the dots, or push back on stakeholder requests. Now, instead of leading the product organization, you’re stuck back in the weeds.

This is one of the most common challenges I help product leaders navigate in my coaching practice: how to grow product managers beyond tactical execution into true product leaders.

The Mindset Gap: Tactical vs. Strategic product managers

Most product managers start their careers by executing. They manage delivery, run agile rituals, share metrics reports, and keep things moving. This is important—but it’s only half the job.

Strategic product managers, by contrast, don’t just build things right. They make sure we’re building the right things. They ask:

• Why this problem? Why now?

• How does this initiative support our company goals?

• What will success look like in the hands of our customers?

When product managers operate only at the tactical level, you’ll see telltale signs:

• Prioritizing tasks based on loudest voice or nearest deadline.

• Taking roadmaps as fixed lists instead of strategic bets.

• Delivering on features but unsure if they’re delivering value.

• Reluctance to push back or reframe stakeholder asks.

These product managers often feel stuck... and so do their leaders.

Why the Gap Exists

There’s a reason this problem is so pervasive. In most organizations:

• product managers are promoted for execution, not strategic thinking.

• Business goals are opaque or discussed behind closed doors.

• Tactical output is easier to measure than strategic insight.

• Leaders unintentionally reward compliance over curiosity.

In short, many product managers have never been taught — or empowered — to think like leaders. And unless someone coaches them differently, they’ll stay in execution mode.

How to Coach Product Managers into Strategic Thinkers

This transformation doesn’t require a massive re-org or months of training. It starts with intentional coaching: modeling the mindset, providing the tools, and creating space for strategic work. Here are five ways I coach product leaders to develop this muscle in their teams:

1. Teach Them to Ask Better Questions

The shift from execution to strategy starts with curiosity. Encourage product managers to slow down and ask:

• What’s the real customer problem here?

• How do we know this is the right time to solve it?

• What behavior change are we trying to drive?

• What does success look like for the business?

Coaching prompt: “Before jumping to solutions, how would you define the problem—and why does it matter right now?”

2. Introduce Strategic Thinking Tools

Most product managers want to be more strategic but don’t know how. Equip them with simple, scalable tools:

• Opportunity Solution Trees to clarify bets and assumptions.

• North Star Metrics to focus on long-term impact.

• Lean Canvases or product one-pagers to communicate clearly.

These tools force prioritization, clarify trade-offs, and align teams around shared outcomes.

3. Involve Them in Executive Conversations

You can’t think strategically without context. Invite your product managers into higher-level discussions when possible, and then — most importantly — debrief afterward:

• “Did you notice how the CFO framed that trade-off?”

• “What would you do differently knowing our growth targets?”

It’s one of the fastest ways to accelerate their understanding of the bigger picture.

4. Create Space for Strategic Work

If product managers are drowning in Jira tickets and stakeholder pings, they’ll never have time to think. Protect strategic time:

• Ask what they’ve deprioritized this week, and celebrate it.

• Block time for deep work or customer research.

• Encourage them to say, “Let me think about that and come back with a proposal.”

Coaching prompt: “What are you doing today that someone else on your team could own?”

5. Model Strategic Communication

Strong product leaders communicate clearly, concisely, and with context. Teach product managers to:

• Frame decisions in terms of customer impact and business value.

• Use simple narratives: Problem → Insight → Bet → Expected Outcome.

• Present trade-offs, not just recommendations.

One of my favorite tools is the strategic one-pager—a short document outlining the problem, proposed solution, rationale, risks, and success metrics. It forces clarity and builds alignment quickly.

What Happens When They Level Up

When your product managers start thinking like product leaders, everything changes:

• They challenge assumptions instead of taking orders.

• They influence stakeholders instead of deferring to them.

• Your roadmap becomes a strategic tool, not a delivery schedule.

• You, as the leader, can focus on scaling impact instead of fixing the day-to-day.

This isn’t about turning everyone into a mini-CPO. It’s about building a team that takes ownership, thinks holistically, and leads with purpose.

Final Thoughts

Coaching product managers to think strategically isn’t a luxury, it’s a leadership imperative. And it doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, time, and a willingness to grow together.

If you’re ready to stop doing your team’s thinking for them and start building the next generation of product leaders, I can help. As a product leadership coach, I work with heads of product and their teams to develop the mindset, skills, and systems that drive strategic excellence.

Let’s talk. Whether you’re scaling your org or transforming how your team works, I’d love to support your journey.