"I don't believe your data...convince me"

This was another challenge question posed to me on Brainmates. Thanks Steve.

I love it because it cuts right to the heart of one of the most important weapons any Product Manager can wield - influence.

First though, I'd like to touch on how to avoid this question in the first place. A good place to start is by building effective relationships. Trust is vital in building influence, and without it, you might as well not bother.

Also, never forget to pre-wire every presentation. This probably deserves a post on it's own, but where possible, you should know the outcome of any meeting before it begins. Meetings can be a horrible way to make decisions, so I prefer not to rely on them to work out the way I expect. Talk to the important stakeholders beforehand. Understand not only their position, but their emotional perspective (see below). Remember habit 5 - seek first to understand, then to be understood. Knowing what to expect will mean you have covered as many of your bases as possible before your presentation begins. Then the meeting can be about allowing powerful people to feel like they are exercising their power.

When it comes to actually answering this challenge, I believe the answer lies in feelings not facts. As any salesperson will tell you, people buy with their emotions, then use the facts to justify the way they feel. What the asker is really saying is "I don't feel good about your idea, and I want to".

Through your pre-wiring, you should have an understanding of the emotional perspective of your stakeholders, but the best place to start will be your own passion (I know, reality TV has ruined that word, hasn't it?).

It's so easy to start a project full of enthusiasm and energy, and then create a presentation that strips away all that feeling, trying to win the day with hard numbers. If the data is good, but it's not convincing, then what's probably missing is the story. Tell the story of the product, it's users, it's market, and the big piles of money everyone in the room will be sitting on if they would just agree with you. You build your influence but sharing not just your ideas, but your emotions as well.

Let me know your thoughts. And feelings.

People make products

I've been asked a question about product management tools, so I've decided to write a post on the theme "Tools don't make products, people do".

You're thinking "That's all well and good for sheep, but what are we to do?"

 

I think this is incredibly useful and practical. I'm techy, so I have a natural inclination to think about systems. Particularly if they're shiny. And every time I do, I end up coming back to this. To explain how I make use of this insight, first I'd like to talk about power. Forget any negative connotations. I just mean the ability to affect outcomes. Power can come from:

Your role: In a traditional org chart, this can dominate, but as a product manager there is a very good chance you'll have no authority over team members you will need to rely on every day.

Your skills: As someone with a technical background, I often find this useful for breaking the ice with developers, but the chances are, everyone will have more skills in their chosen speciality than you. For me, my skills are the lever, but I need a fulcrum.

Your relationships: This is the gold, but it's not a quick win. There's no short cut. Relationships can only be built through constant and consistent communication. And this is fulcrum which gives my skills the leverage they need.

Here's an example. An update has been delivered, but there's a problem, and in order to honour a commitment, you need to ask a team to work back. They might do it because you have the authority to make them. They probably won't do it because they respect your skills. But they will stay, and give their best, if they trust that you know what you are asking them to sacrifice. Do you the names of the kids they will not be tucking in tonight, because they are writing code?

From my own experience, every time a product under delivers, it is never a tool that is to blame, but a relationship that has misfired.

Please share your thoughts.

Its all in the fine print

I noticed the fine print on a TV commercial this evening. I often do. In fact I've realised that while I'm listening to the voice over, I'm generally scanning the bottom of the screen for the weasel words that describe why the product really is too good to be true.

This one was simple though. It said "your local store may have heaps or none". I thought, that's great. It's says exactly what it needs to. No more, and no less. No weasel words at all.

I think it's becoming clear that as consumers we are so much less willing to be sold to, spun, and misdirected. Not that it still doesn't work. But most of the time there's just no point. When you tell a clever lie, you're actually wasting an opportunity to tell a clever truth. And you won't get a 2nd chance.

What does your job mean to you?

This is a subject that I have had some time to reflect on recently. Last week I received a redundancy package, so I find myself with more time to reflect on a lot of things.

Who exactly am I? I think the only genuine way to answer that is to talk about the connections I share. I'm a son, and a brother. I'm a husband and a father. I'm a friend.

So employee and colleague are missing from the list. The irony is, if I had to place a value on what each role means to me, I would have placed those at the bottom. But it's hard to escape the impact their absence has on my state of mind. I like to think of myself as a progressive thinker. I don't like to imagine myself being trapped by a traditional mindset. And yet here I am. At home. During the day. I feel like I'm wagging school.

I have often predicted, frequently to my wife, that the nature of employment is changing. In general, and specifically, for me. I have been attempting to mentally prepare her for contracting, consulting, or start-up life, where a wage is as quaint and old fashioned an idea as not been seen in public without a hat.

But it appears I may have failed to prepare myself.

What does your job mean to you? Would your answer change if tomorrow it was gone? Should it?

I'm not a Ninja - I'm a Product Samurai

The label "Ninja" is so overused right now. Not quite as bad as "Rock Star", but it must be close. I understand the need for redefining terminology in a new work environments,  but if we're going to be more creative in the way we describe ourselves, then let's actually be creative, rather than relying on the first two pop icons that spring to mind.

I'm definitely not a ninja. Relying more on my interpretation than historical accuracy, ninjas rely very heavily on individual skill, and are available for hire to the highest bidder. They don't take sides. Their only cause is themselves.

That describes a lot of programmers I know (:)), but as a Product Manager, that's not the type of role model I want, and not the type of label I'm going to give myself. 

Instead, I'm a Product Samurai!

Yes, I have skills, but I am nothing without my personal value system. I apply my skills with honour. I stand for something bigger than myself, and I never stand alone.

That sounds more like it. What's your alternative title? (And don't say rock star).

I can't smell the herd

My primitive mind has it's own idea about what connectivity means.

I'm lying, not quite asleep, in the grass, beneath a copse of trees. Beyond, the savannah is visible in the moonlight. And around me sleeps the herd.

I can hear them breathing and grunting as they sleep. I can feel a warm body on each side of me. The rise and fall of a chest. And I can smell them.

These sensations tell me that all is well. I'm part of a group that will shelter and protect me, my mate, and our offspring.

My modern mind knows that I am more connected to the rest of my species than I have ever been. But I can no longer smell them. I tweet, update, connect and check-in. But is anyone really listening? None of these networks makes me feel at rest, within a group to which I really belong.

 

Everyone should know where they came from