Letting go is perhaps one of the hardest things to do when you step into product leadership. You’ve built your career by being hands-on. You’ve been recognised and rewarded for doing great product work. And now you carry the title that says you’re a leader.
So your instinct, your muscle memory is to keep doing what got you here.
But being an effective product leader requires the opposite instinct. It requires you to let go.
Not completely but just enough.
And this is where Perfect vs Possible becomes real.
When you hold on too tightly, you’re chasing perfect. But when you create the right conditions for others to step up, you’re operating in the possible.
A Personal Learning About “Letting Go”
For a long time, I believed leadership was about giving people space to step up without interference. I would create room, step back, and let them figure it out. I thought that was empowering.
But I later learned that “stepping back” can sometimes feel like abandonment.
Too much space with no structure creates a lose–lose situation where people end up feeling they must either:
a) succeed perfectly with no guidance, or
b) fail miserably on their own.
That’s perfect vs impossible, not perfect vs possible.
Neither outcome is fair. And neither helps people grow.
What people actually need isn’t unlimited freedom. They need clear boundaries that enable them to operate independently. Not a cage, but a defined operating space. A clear playing field. Guardrails that give them the safety to explore and the confidence to act.
Because without boundaries, independence feels risky. With boundaries, independence becomes possible.
True leadership is not stepping away. It’s stepping alongside the team.
To Let Go Well, You Need Two Things
1. Management
Peter Drucker famously said:
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
I bring this up because we’ve—I’ve—forgotten about good old-fashioned management in product.
But management is essential. It provides the structure that makes “possible” achievable.
In product, management means:
- Designing guardrails that help people operate confidently in the realm of the possible, not aim for the impossible.
- Being crystal clear on expectations: what good looks like and who is accountable for what.
- Setting real goals, not vague aspirations, and reporting on progress, not activity.
- Holding people to those expectations with clarity, candour, and consistency not perfection.
- Giving timely feedback before small missteps turn into major problems.
Letting go doesn’t mean leaving people to figure everything out. It means ensuring the environment is set up for high performance. That our team have clarity, alignment, trust, and the psychological safety to try, learn, and adjust.
2. Coaching
Drucker also believed deeply in continuous learning. That’s where coaching becomes crucial.
You can’t expect perfection from people who are still learning.
But you can open up possibilities.
Coaching creates opportunities for people to grow by helping them:
- uncover valuable customer problems
- test and refine their hypotheses
- make better product trade-offs
- build solutions that are actually viable
- outperform competitors through insight, not chance
Coaching isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about helping them think better so they can do better and grow into the space you’re creating for them.
Coaching is the bridge between perfect (the fantasy) and possible (the reality of growth).
How to Let Go (Without Letting People Fall)
A practical checklist for product leaders operating in the Possible zone
1. Define the boundaries clearly
What’s fixed? What’s flexible? Spell out strategy, constraints, metrics, timelines, and stakeholders.
2. Set expectations early and explicitly
Describe what “good” looks like. Most misalignment comes from assumptions.
3. Agree on decision rights
Who owns which decisions? Where do they run solo? When do they pull you in?
4. Create a regular rhythm of check-ins
Not to micromanage, but to keep alignment tight and momentum steady.
5. Give feedback while it still matters
Early feedback is supportive. Late feedback is punitive.
6. Coach weekly, not only in crisis
Coaching is a proactive investment, not an emergency intervention.
7. Step in when needed, step back when possible
Leadership is dynamic. The art is knowing when to tighten the grip and when to loosen it.
Letting Go Is Not About Perfection
Leadership isn’t about letting go completely, nor is it about holding on too tightly.
It’s about enabling what’s possible.
It’s about creating a space where people can operate confidently, learn continuously, and grow into their potential.
When you let go well, you don’t lose control. You gain a stronger, more capable team.
And that’s the real shift from Perfect to Possible.
