In a digital world where innovation is key, where data is flowing freely both inside and outside the company, and where change is constant, work has become increasingly complex, changeable, and informal in nature.

As a result, an organization needs to get rid of its traditional hierarchy—which mainly promotes people having interactions with others in their own department—in favor of a system which encourages input and collaboration from people with different skill sets across functions internally and externally with partners and customers.

Therefore, leaders need to focus on bringing strong people together and giving them greater freedom to generate ideas and execute them through collaboration.

A leader should articulate what needs to be done and why, and then let the team decide how to do it.

She will set things in motion, guide her team, and clear the obstacles when the team is in trouble.

This has similarities with the role of a product manager. She will have to work cross‐ functionally with teammates and stakeholders, lead, influence, motivate, and trust them—without ever ordering them to do anything.

She will ensure they are motivated and know what their purpose is. She will coach them and help them develop in a safe environment. She will connect the dots internally and externally to empower her team with additional information, better tools, and efficiency.

She will ensure that they have the data they need to experiment and iterate quickly, as well as the autonomy to make informed decisions based on their learning. She will clarify the chaos in a world where change is a constant.

EMPOWERED: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products (Silicon Valley Product Group) by Marty Cagan