Seek to Understand (people)
Seek to Understand (people)
Companion Playbook 1 of 3, Leading the Product | APAC 2023
On Thursday, May 18, 2023, I enjoyed speaking at LTP (“Leading the Product”) 2023 - APAC Conference in Sydney, AU.
My topic was: How do I align my efforts to deliver the outcomes in our roadmap when I rely on other teams focused on different business priorities?
I love this topic because it’s a reality every product manager will face throughout their career. That said, I’ve experienced this more in larger organizations with many moving parts than in smaller companies with one or only a few focus areas, which makes sense.
My strategy in this situation has worked for me in all company sizes thus far. As you read through this companion playbook, remember that every situation has its own set of nuances. So, use this more as a guide than a coloring book.
PS. You can watch my talk and all the LTP 2023 | APAC Conference footage here:
https://www.leadingtheproduct.com/season-pass/2023-apac/
In my first three years at DocuSign, I experienced three significant company-wide reorgs. I also reported to four very different managers, each with strengths, challenges, and strategies for managing change. And my own charter pivoted, expanded, contracted, & expanded again.
So, creating alignment, fostering alignment, and maintaining alignment have been challenging, to say the least.
I will share how I’ve worked through these challenges with three simple playbooks, each containing only two simple steps.
Let’s start with the first Playbook, Seek to Understand!
Playbook 1, Seek to UNDERSTAND
We start with understanding because you must first understand PEOPLE to understand the real CHALLENGE ahead.
Throughout your career, you will find that people often make decisions based on emotions. Sometimes these decisions seem rational, but many times, not so much.
And as a product manager, it's key to recognize that decision-making isn't purely logical but is often significantly influenced by emotions. Emotions play a role in consumer behavior, team dynamics, and even your own management decisions. Understanding and balancing emotional and rational factors can lead to more effective and empathetic product development.
So before we get started, I implore you to please stop calling the PEOPLE you work with “stakeholders.” They are your PARTNERS, not stakeholders!
Why?
The work “STAKEHOLDERS” is too formal. It’s very impersonal. It implies that I see you as someone I MUST MANAGE at a distance.
The word “PARTNERS,” on the other hand, conveys a sense of collaboration and mutual respect. It implies that WE are working TOGETHER towards a COMMON GOAL.
So, repeat after me:
PARTNERS, not stakeholders!
Now that we have that out of our system, let’s meet our partners.
Step 1: Who’s Who
You need to identify your STRATEGIC partners 1st. The key word here is “STRATEGIC.”
These are the people who are critical to ensuring your product’s success. Without them, your product would have difficulty shipping, if at all.
In my current role at DocuSign, my team and I are accountable for both Search & Reporting across our two pillar products, eSignature and CLM. (CLM is an acronym for Contract Lifecycle Management)
Our strategic partners help us better understand customer needs within their respective products, help us gather requirements, and participate in sprint planning.
They also provide candid feedback on our strategy and are our liaisons to their respective leadership teams.
You likely already know your strategic partners, but if you don’t, this is where you need to start. Because after identifying your strategic partners, you will want to expand your partner network and identify your partners in Product Design, Research, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Success, etc.
After joining a new company or after a reorg, I always try to print a copy of the updated org chart. An easy-to-print or updated org chart is only sometimes readily available, so I write one on paper when needed.
Once I have this visual, printed or written, I highlight my strategic partners and underline everyone else in my partner network who I need to ensure I know.
I then mark the last time I met or spoke with them and try to connect the dots.
To do this, I use a (private) RACI matrix, which helps me identify my (and my team’s) strategic partners.
RACI is an acronym for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.
Simple definitions are:
Responsible for execution
Accountable for the outcome (one neck to grab)
Consulted on the outcome
Informed of the outcome
As a Product Manager, you are most likely Accountable and Responsible for delivering the outcomes in your area of ownership.
Your strategic partners are usually Consulted but could also be Responsible for execution.
The people in your extended partner network that need to or want to be kept up-to-date on the outcomes of your team are Informed.
Why do I refer to this as a (private) RACI matrix?
Because I’ve learned through the years that forcing the adoption of a RACI matrix can feel like a SLEDGEHAMMER when organizations are not well formed. (I discuss this more in Playbook 3, Seek to ALIGN, which will be published later.)
However, RACI is a powerful tool in the right environment. But for this purpose, it’s private to MY team and ME and helps US engage more effectively with OUR strategic partners.
And once you do have alignment, the RACI matrix can be codified as an operating model between you and your strategic partners.
Now that you know who’s who, you want to be the person YOUR PARTNERS pick up the phone for.
Step 2: Be the person your partners will pick up the phone for.
Let me ask you a question-
How many of you screen every phone call & kick the MAJORITY of them to voicemail, especially if you are not expecting a call?
What would it take to answer a phone call from a partner you were not expecting?
Are they the person you would pick up the phone for?
Are you?
So how do you become the person your partners pick up the phone for?
You MUST meet them. You MUST talk to them. You MUST get to know them. In-person if you can, but we’ve all learned these past few years that Zoom works well too.
This seems obvious, but so many people do not make the time to do this in a mutually beneficial way.
You MUST show GENUINE but STRATEGIC curiosity with your partners.
In your first meeting, try to get to know the PERSON, not just their name and title.
Simple questions like;
When did you join the company?
Why did you join?
What did you do before?
Understanding your partners’ career journey will help you uncover their hidden motivations and aspirations.
You might be surprised how much you have in common, or not, from these simple questions.
You want to understand their current role and how it fits into your worldview.
Simple questions like;
What is your or your team’s charter today?
What are your goals this year?
What does success look like?
What resources are available for me to learn more?
As a product manager, asking strategic questions about your partner teams’ charter, goals, success metrics, and learning resources will help you align your actions with cross-functional team objectives and encourages partnership. This level of understanding also helps you keep your private RACI matrix updated, promoting efficient team collaboration and coordination.
You also want to know their current challenges and solicit feedback to uncover your opportunities.
These questions are gold, and I always ask them when establishing a partnership with someone at work.
What are the challenges your team or product faces today?
What feedback do you have for my team or product?
What should we keep doing?
What should we start doing to better partners?
Don’t be shy! Ask for examples. This is the time to establish radical candor while you are still in the getting-to-know-you zone.
Ultimately, you want to know how you are your team can help them be successful in their charter.
Because knowing where and how you can provide VALUE to your partners is a superpower. And it’s ok to be direct. Ask;
How can I or my team help you?
How would you like to be informed of future updates?
May I reach out again to solicit feedback or ask for guidance?
Would it be ok if I set up a time for us to stay connected, say once a month?
After every meeting, you must WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED!
To be truly genuine, you can not ask and forget.
Then in your next meeting, follow up with genuine interest to strengthen your partnership!
How is your product coming along?
Any progress on the constraints we discussed last time?
And share any additional learnings since your first meeting. For example:
I reached out to my partner, who had a similar constraint, and they are doing this as a workaround….
Lastly, use your printed or written org chart and mark off the people you have met. Add a notation on how frequently you plan to stay connected, something like;
W = weekly
BW = bi-weekly
M = monthly
BM = bi-monthly
Any method you choose to keep this information up to date will work.
Recap:
Playbook 1, Seek to UNDERSTAND (people)
Step 1 - Who’s Who
Identify your strategic partners (!Stakeholders)
Update your private RACI
Step 2 - Be the person your partners will pick up the phone for
Show GENUINE but STRATEGIC curiosity
Know the person, their role, their challenges, your opportunities, and most importantly, know how to help (by providing value)
Yes, this is a lot of work. It is an investment in time that pays dividends later.
These are the soft skills you need to be a top 1% of product manager at your company. If you do this with intent, you will graduate from just another colleague to the person they will pick up the phone for.
As we wrap up this first companion Playbook, Seek to UNDERSTAND, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to each of you for joining me on this journey and for taking the time out of your day to read, reflect, and respond.
Whether you've got an intriguing question, an enlightening comment, or a suggestion to improve, I invite you to hit 'reply' and send them my way.
PS. The next Playbook, Seek to FRAME, will be published around the 1st week of July.
Until then, let's continue learning, growing, and evolving together.
Michael