Is your product struggling? It might be because you don't have a real product owner.
We have a core belief that product owners are the most important role on a technical team (yes, technical team). In fact, if you were to build a technical team with just one person, we think it should be the product owner. Since the Gnar started in 2015 our most successful projects have had a capable product owner.
But - like most good things - there are imposters and fakes out there. If your product is struggling, you probably don't have a real product owner. Here are the three phonies you may find once you pull off the mask (and what the real deal looks like).
Imposter #1 - Product Expert
This person seems like the ideal product owner - at first glance. They know everything about the product: its history, its quirks, and its current challenges. They're the one everyone goes to with questions about functionality, features, or context. They may run demos for potential prospects and new internal team members. They hear all of the feedback on the product first hand, both positive and constructive. They may be even the primary QA tester before code releases.
But there's a fatal flaw: they don't have the authority to make decisions that stick, leading to changing priorities for the development team.
The primary contact is often trapped in a middle-management role or working under the shadow of a higher-up who has the final say. They might offer suggestions or guidance, but they can't give a definitive answer, which means every decision gets bogged down in approval cycles. This leads to delays, frustration, and a product that stalls instead of moving forward.
Imposter #2 - Disconnected Director
This is the most dangerous imposter of all, they have authority without the knowledge.
The Disconnected Director sits high enough in the org chart to make decisions and understand the priorities of the organization, but they're far removed from the day-to-day realities of the product. They might not know how the product works, what the users need, or what's technically feasible. Instead, they rely on intuition, abstract strategy, or secondhand information.
While their authority means they can push decisions through, the decisions they make can be misinformed, disconnected, or require far more effort than they anticipate. That means features nobody wants, technical debt, or wasted time chasing the wrong priorities.
This is the most dangerous stand-in of all, but be careful, this person might be you.
Imposter #3 - Product Placeholder
When you're stuck with a Product Placeholder, you're in trouble.
The Placeholder is someone who lacks both authority and product knowledge. They can't make decisions that mean anything, nor can they offer meaningful insight into how the product works or what it needs.
They often play a passive role, nodding along in meetings, deferring questions to others, and taking a "just here to facilitate" stance. They might be seen as a temporary fix - a body filling the seat of a product owner - but their presence can sap momentum, confuse communication, and leave the team without clear direction. This person needs to develop their understanding of the product, then advocate for the authority to set product priorities and roadmap.
The Real Product Owner
So, what does the real deal look like?
Authority: They can make strategic decisions about the product and tactical calls in the moment. When they make a choice, it sticks.
Knowledge: They deeply understand the product, its features, its users, and its technical constraints. They might not be an engineer, but they know enough to have meaningful conversations with the technical team and spot when something doesn't add up.
Decision-Making Skills: They balance user needs, business goals, and technical realities to make choices that move the product forward. They don't rely on gut feelings or abstract strategies; they use data, input from the team, and a clear vision to guide the way.
With a real product owner at the helm, your team can build momentum, ship meaningful features, and deliver a product that truly works.
So, take a look at your team: do you have a real product owner - or just an imposter in disguise?
Pete Whiting is the Head of Growth and Client Service at The Gnar Company, where he leads business development, marketing, and client service activities to help companies build high-quality custom software. With over a decade of experience at the firm, Pete specializes in driving revenue growth and ensuring high utilization of development teams through strategic go-to-market and product marketing initiatives.
Prior to joining The Gnar Company, Pete held executive roles in operations and marketing at firms such as Dispatch and MeYou Health. He also spent five years at Vistaprint, where he served as Director of Product Marketing and Strategy for the Asia Pacific region, accelerating annual revenue and gross profit growth through data-driven planning and multi-channel marketing. Pete’s career began in engineering and management consulting, including seven years at Deloitte Consulting leading growth strategy and post-merger integration for global industrial and high-tech clients. He holds an MBA with honors from UCLA Anderson and both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Brown University.
