> the EM tried to draft a better product roadmap than the PM had made, it would dramatically worsen the relationship (for example). Absolutely. But "to lead by

> the EM tried to draft a better product roadmap than the PM had made, it would dramatically worsen the relationship (for example). Absolutely. But "to lead by example" the EM could ask the PM to sit down and improve the existing one until it's acceptable for the team (or for the EM). But let's look at the exact scenario that the blog post mentions: > Both are pushed to “collaborate better” but the team’s impact remains poor How are they measuring team impact? Why is it important? Again, leading by example, if impact is important for the EM, then they should find a job where they have that. Our world is changing fast, most people have a status quo bias, tech sector are even crazier, putting all of that together it's no surprise that almost everybody in tech is not exactly where they would like to be. Dealing with this discrepancy is hard (and even that's quite the understatement), but the only true ways are internal change (acceptance, eg. changing with the environment) or taking action. (See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_ther...) > can come across as being a fake It's very important to find the environment where you can be authentic. Including being a beginner, doing something that you're not 100% sure of. (IT/tech is again an extreme outlier in this regard, because it's full of people with self-esteem & confidence issues. Needless to say these issues can manifest in different ways, and both kinds are of course bad: impostor syndrome and the arrogant know-it-all.) > How long should the main character stay in a context where good ideas lose out to bad ideas, and mediocrity rules? It depends. If the main character finds passion outside work (let's say side business, family, whatever) and can just treat work like a means to many ends, then it doesn't really matter. If they cannot, because they want their work to be meaningful, impactful, they want to have professional pride in their work, etc... then they usually need to move :)