Take a stack of sticky notes and hold it so the edges face you.
What do you see?
Now ask a friend standing opposite you the same question. What do they see?
More than likely you all have different answers. On the same set of sticky notes, but with different perspectives.
Neither of you is wrong. You're simply looking at it from a different angle.
Product teams work the same way. When a user problem lands on the table, everyone brings a different, but unique lens. Engineering thinks about feasibility. Design thinks about the user experience. Research uncovers behaviours and unmet needs. Customer Success hears recurring frustrations. Product's role is to connect those perspectives.
The goal isn't to decide whose perspective is right. The goal is to understand what each perspective adds.
I've found that the best product conversations happen when people are curious enough to explore each other's thinking before jumping to solutions.
That also means listening for what's not being said. The hesitation before someone speaks. The assumption everyone is making. The concern that never gets voiced because people think someone else has already considered it.
Those moments often reveal the real problem. Leadership isn't about having the best perspective in the room. It's about helping the team see the whole stack, not just the side they're standing on.