Great PMs Win Before the Meeting Starts
I walked into a meeting with five executive leaders at GoDaddy. Big decision on the table. High stakes. Competing priorities.
Five minutes in, the decision was made. We ended the meeting early. One leader smiled and said, “That was the easiest decision I’ve made all week.”
What most people in the room didn’t see? The hours I spent behind the scenes making that 5-minute moment possible.
All PMs set up decision meetings. Great PMs get decisions done before the meeting.
The best product managers I’ve worked with don’t treat meetings as decision points. They treat them as confirmation points.
If you're still trying to sway opinions in the room, you're already too late.
The real influence happens quietly:
📩 In pre-reads that frame the narrative.
🧠 In 1:1s where objections surface without judgment.
📞 In follow-ups that tie alignment together.
You’re Not Orchestrating Drama; You’re Producing Clarity
Great PMs don’t chase drama. They chase predictability.
They prep the story.
They handle objections early.
They create the conditions for “yes.”
Surprise kills trust.
Silence kills support.
Want a decision in the room? Start the work outside.
Influence Isn't About Airtime
It’s not about how well you present during the meeting.
It’s about how well you’ve shaped the room before you enter it.
That’s the difference between a decision meeting and a decision made.
That’s what makes a great PM.
Check out my webinar, “Great PMs do this,” a practical guide to unlocking the next version of yourself as a leader.
TL;DR
Great PMs aren’t the ones with fast answers. They’re the ones with thoughtful, disarming questions that shift the room from defensiveness to curiosity. You unlock progress not by controlling the conversation, but by reframing it.
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