How do I handle being pulled in different directions as a product manager?

Engineering wants one thing, sales another, the CEO a third, and when it all cannot happen, you are the one who takes the blame. That is the quiet cruelty of the product job, all the responsibility, sitting right where every pressure meets. Feeling squeezed does not mean you are bad at this. It means you are standing exactly where the job puts you. You cannot give everyone everything, and trying to is what is burning you. Your real job is not to satisfy all three. It is to make the hard trade-offs out loud, with reasons, so the choice is clear and shared. When you decide openly and explain why, the blame has less to land on. Silence and people-pleasing are what make you the scapegoat. This week, practice saying no with a reason: "We are doing X because Y, which means Z waits." Say it clearly, write it down, own it. You will not make everyone happy, that was never possible. But you will trade being blamed for being respected. Clear beats liked, and clear is something you control.