| Why did I write a product management haiku? They were a thing back in the 2010s. Then they disappeared. And I’ve decided this is a problem that needs solving. |
Waters flow faster
But gaps among river rocks
Revive weary fish
Today’s product management haiku was inspired by a recent interview with Emily Tate, a CPO and former Managing Director of Mind the Product, where she expressed a concern about remote work. Her observation is that working remotely can erode some of the fun and informal connections that build teams as we build products.
It’s a fair point. In product management, we spend a lot of time figuring out how to work better. We optimize processes, eliminate extraneous meetings, and experiment with new ways to shorten and improve learning cycles. That’s all good. But as AI and new tools help things flow faster, I don’t think product leaders should try to make everything flow faster.
The gaps among the river rocks aren’t necessarily inefficiencies to optimize away. To keep teams energized and our humanity intact, we need to wisely protect unproductive moments.
Fish need still water to recover from fighting the current, right? Well, people need unstructured time to slow down and actually connect with each other.
And it doesn’t take much.
Be willing to joke. Tell a story. Even better, listen to one. As product leaders, every time we spend a few minutes talking about someone’s kids, dog, or even the fish tank behind them, we’re implicitly telling everyone else that they’re allowed to be people at work too.
Bonus Content
Speaking of remote work, let’s check in with Professor Robert Kelly. You may remember him from the viral moment back in 2017 when his 4-year-old daughter hopped into his home office and crashed his live TV interview… and then his 9-month-old son rolled into the room… and then his wife literally slid into the room to round them up. In March 2026, the family spoke with Inside Edition and confirmed he still conducts regular remote interviews, but they now have a lock on the door.
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