Product Management - That post you didn't know you needed - Let's fight impostor syndrome together

Today’s “hard knock on the record” is a guest post. But…the guest doesn’t know they’re posting here.

I recently came across a great piece by Ahmed Wafaey, and I had to share it. It unpacks a struggle that way too many product managers face but rarely talk about: Imposter Syndrome - that relentless voice whispering, You’re not enough. You don’t belong here. Everyone else has it figured out except you. Talk about a hard knock!

If you’ve ever felt like you’re just winging it and it’s only a matter of time before people find out - you’re far from alone.

Why are Product Managers especially vulnerable?

📌 Your impact is often invisible. When things go right, engineering, design, and sales get the credit. When things go wrong, you take the heat.

📌 You’re a generalist among specialists. You’ll never be the best engineer, designer, or marketer in the room - but you need to work across all disciplines.

📌 LinkedIn is a highlight reel. You see others celebrating launches, promotions, and huge wins, while you’re stuck in the trenches fighting for stakeholder buy-in.

📌 Feedback stings. A missed promotion, a tough performance review - suddenly, that inner critic gets louder.
And yet - even the greats have felt this. Steve Jobs. Maya Angelou. Albert Einstein. If they weren’t immune, what does that tell us?

Imposter syndrome isn’t about talent - it’s about the story we tell ourselves. Ahmed lays out an actionable way to shift from self-doubt to self-trust. Instead of listing everything, I’ll just say: Read his full post. It’s worth your time. Link added to the comments section.

Ahmed, wherever you are, bravo 👏

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