What jury duty taught me about product management

Lenny Rachitsky reflects on serving as juror on a weeklong criminal trial and maps courtroom dynamics onto product management. The post argues that trials offer a useful lens on soft skills like choosing the right people, structuring persuasive arguments, doing pre-work before high-stakes meetings, and building influence through evidence and trust.

01Key takeaways

• Be deliberate about who you bring into projects, meetings, and leadership teams, since the right people drive alignment and shipping.
• Use a tell-them-what-you'll-tell-them structure to make arguments clearer, especially when presenting to executives.
• Do pre-meetings with key stakeholders so important decisions don't hinge on surprises in a high-pressure room.
• Continuously look for misalignment on goals, data, and priorities, and quickly pull the team back to a shared understanding.
• Influence rests mainly on how convincing your evidence is and how much people trust you and your sources.

02Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.