Magic Lies in How People Work Together

Matt LeMay believes product teams must relentlessly focus on business-critical outcomes to survive and thrive in today's economic environment. His "impact first" philosophy centers on the idea that your work will ultimately be evaluated against business outcomes, regardless of how perfectly you follow product development best practices.

The core of LeMay's approach is that product teams must understand and articulate how their work directly contributes to business success. This isn't just about surviving layoffs—it's about being honest about your team's value. As he puts it, "If you were the CEO of this company, would you fully fund your own team?" Most product managers can't confidently answer this question immediately, which signals a dangerous disconnect.

LeMay identifies a common pattern he calls the "low impact PM death spiral" where teams gravitate toward safe, low-impact work—adding small features and cosmetic improvements that don't meaningfully affect business outcomes. This creates a cycle where products become increasingly complex collections of loosely connected features rather than cohesive experiences. The more low-impact work teams do, the harder it becomes to do high-impact work, until the next round of layoffs arrives.

To break this cycle, LeMay recommends three practical steps: First, set team goals no more than one step away from company goals—there should be a clear, direct line between your team's objectives and what the business needs most. Second, keep impact at the forefront throughout the entire product development process, not just during goal-setting. Third, connect every piece of work back to impact by estimating and measuring impact in the same unit as your goals.

For product leaders, this means creating environments where teams understand the business model and are empowered to pursue high-impact work, even when it's challenging. For individual contributors, it means having the courage to push for work that matters, even when it's easier to just build what you're told. As LeMay notes, "Even if you are told to build a thing that the execs are really excited about, you're still gonna get fired eventually" if that work doesn't drive meaningful business outcomes.

Rather than seeing business constraints as limitations, LeMay encourages product teams to view them as guideposts that shape and focus their work. The most commercially-minded product managers he's met are often the happiest—they understand their role in driving business success, do their best within the constraints they face, and maintain healthier work-life boundaries.

When faced with requests that don't align with business impact, LeMay suggests presenting options with clear trade-offs rather than simply saying yes or no. This approach acknowledges that executives may have information you don't while still ensuring everyone understands the consequences of their decisions.