“Let Product Handle It” Is a Risk: Why Product Management Is Really Risk Management

08/01/2026 13 min
“Let Product Handle It” Is a Risk: Why Product Management Is Really Risk Management

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Episode Synopsis

Product management isn’t about writing tickets, answering quick questions, or being the catch-all for everything unclear.It’s risk management.In this episode of Beyond Product Management, Heather Miller breaks down what’s really happening when teams say, “Let’s just have product handle it.” What sounds harmless often creates serious market, execution, and founder risk—and most teams don’t realize the damage until it’s too late.Heather shares real-world stories from product launches and critical rollouts, including the invisible cost of context switching, burnout, and being pulled into “quick” meetings that derail deep work. She also explores how unclear role definition at the leadership level trains teams to bypass product—and why that creates single points of failure across the business.This episode reframes product managers as an early warning system for the business, not a slowdown—and challenges both PMs and founders to stop tolerating small risks that quietly compound.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why “just have product handle it” creates hidden market riskHow execution risk shows up as burnout, delays, and degraded qualityThe role founders play in unintentionally bypassing productHow unclear escalation paths overload PMs and leadershipWhy product managers must stop apologizing for protecting focus timeHow product connects market, execution, founder, and even cyber riskPDRM Consulting's mission is to help businesses reduce risk, specifically in the fields of Cybersecurity and Product Management.Heather bridges the professional development gap in the corporate space by empowering growth-driven product managers to transition into strategic, results-oriented leaders. By focusing on enhancing key skills and decision-making capabilities, she helps them accelerate their leadership journey, achieve measurable outcomes more quickly, and excel in driving product success. Her approach ensures they thrive in their roles and unlock their full potential as impactful servant leaders within their organizations.You can follow us for more daily content:Instagram: @pdrmconsultingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pdrm-consultingJoin our Newsletter: https://pdrmconsulting.kit.com/a64c995683

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