Leading Without Authority: The Art of Lateral Leadership in Product Teams

In the AI era, everyone's talking about the latest tools and technologies. But here's what they're missing: while AI can analyze data and suggest features, it can't navigate the messy human dynamics that actually determine product success. You're still responsible for outcomes without authority over people. You still need to influence engineers who know the technical details, designers who craft the user experience, and stakeholders who control the budget. The difference? These fundamental leadership skills are now probably your best competitive advantage.