[From one Product Manager to another] Some have called Product Management the “Visionary’s Whipping Post” as role sits internally between the company’s develop

[From one Product Manager to another] Some have called Product Management the “Visionary’s Whipping Post” as role sits internally between the company’s development, accounting, production, and accounting teams who all need someone to blame for their woes. Others have describes the role in terms of shuttle diplomacy between external customer needs and internal corporate objectives. How would you describe or frame the role of Product Manager? For your own organization, where do you strike the balance between Microsoft's "Promise everything even if you don't have it" and Apple's "Say Nothing until it's available in the store," promotional strategies and how does your position relate to your unique line of products, industry and customers? Are you currently in a product expansion phase or option/feature expansion phase? Are you positioning yourself for a new market segment or extending your reach into the existing customer base? What products or industries do you admire or see as well managed?