Lessons from the Workshop
Steward, don't own.
Ownership makes you defensive. Stewardship makes you clear. The difference shows up in every decision you make.
By Michael O'Callaghan ·
When you own a product, criticism of it is criticism of you. Roadmaps calcify. Features survive long past their usefulness because removing them feels like a loss.
When you steward a product, you hold it on behalf of the people it serves. You're accountable to its health, not its ego.
Stewards kill features. Owners defend them. Stewards hand things over. Owners hold on.
The founders who scale best are the ones who make this shift early — from "my product" to "the product in my care." It's a quieter posture, and a far more durable one.