Why Product is losing its way - Dan Dalton, Director of Product (Sage, Pendo)

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Dan Dalton (Director of Product Management at Sage) about the current state of product management, and how the role must evolve in today’s climate.

Dan shares his take of where product has gone off‑track: from its delivery‑focused roots to becoming encumbered by bureaucracy and best‑practice dogma. He argues that now is the time to return to first principles: focusing on impact over frameworks, cultivating the right traits (like pragmatism, curiosity and resilience), and equipping teams to work differently in a world shaped by AI, fast experimentation and shifting expectations.

Expect to hear:
— A timeline of how product management has evolved (and derailed)
— Why many new PMs are climbing the ladder too fast — and what that’s doing to the craft
— How Dan’s team at Sage is experimenting with “ready‑to‑ship prototypes” and AI‑based assets to accelerate value
— What product leaders should look for when hiring and building teams today
— A call to drop the checklist mindset and rediscover the fundamentals that drive meaningful work

Chapters
0:00 Introduction: product management at a crossroads
1:00 Dan Dalton’s background and path into product
3:00 The evolution of product management: 2010 to today
8:15 Framework‐fundamentalism, the broken ladder & career expectations
13:45 Why many product careers are being set up to fail
19:20 Responding to disruption: returning to basics, focusing on impact
24:40 The role of soft skills and mindset in product leadership
28:55 How Dan’s team operates: fast prototyping, design system, code assets
31:10 Hiring and developing product talent: soft skills over tick‐boxes
35:30 AI, hype and bubbles: what product leaders need to keep in mind
40:15 The mental flywheel: pragmatism, curiosity, resilience, detachment
45:00 Wrap up & closing remarks