GTM Ownership - Disagree and Commit
Raised a principled disagreement with leadership over Product vs Marketing ownership of GTM execution. After committing fully to the group decision, built a structured GTM checklist embedded into the PRD process that improved launch readiness across the team.
Context
At Skillz there was a leadership debate over whether Product or Marketing should own GTM execution for new features. The prevailing view was that Product should retain ownership, as that had been the historical norm. Having owned both Product and Marketing at Games24x7, I held a principled disagreement.
Approach
- In leadership discussions, clearly and respectfully articulated the disagreement: Marketing teams are better equipped to own channels, sequencing, content, and execution. It is faster for Marketing to learn feature nuances than for PMs to master rapidly evolving marketing channels.
- After the group decided to keep GTM ownership within Product, explicitly acknowledged disagreement, then committed fully to the decision.
- Focused on mitigating the risks I had raised. Created a structured GTM checklist embedded into the PRD process, incorporating best practices from prior experience.
- Operationalized the checklist as standard product delivery across cross-functional partners.
Result
- GTM checklist adopted across the team.
- Measurably improved GTM readiness and cross-functional alignment.
- Strengthened trust between Product and Marketing teams.
- Reinforced a culture of constructive debate followed by execution-focused collaboration.