In a recent post at schmula, the author mentions:

Gary Convis was recently brought in to be the CEO of Dana Corporation (DAN), an $8.7 Billion manufacturer of auto parts. Convis is a 40 year veteran of the auto industry and a former executive at Toyota. Dana Corporation is a struggling giant, currently in bankruptcy. When asked what words of wisdom he has to impart to his new team members at Dana Corporation, he said “manage as if you have no power”.

Well, that’s the core of the Product Management role. A PM has to manage her products asking a lot of people in her organization to do stuff for the product without having any power to demand anything from anyone. So being a product manager is an exercise of good leadership skills. Enjoy your exercise!