Product Strategist: Becoming Proactive 02

In http://www.noozit.com/article/.ee844ce, I talked about one step to becoming more proactive, doing lunch. In this post, I'll talk about where knowing your people can take you. This came to mind while I was reading Chris Widener's The Art of Influence.

Influence is what you need when you lead a matrix organization, the project team, or the launch team, or the product team. You must influence your people. You must gain the respect of the people on your team. Doing lunch was one of those tools or technologies you use to get people to follow you. They follow you when they like you, respect you, and know that you care about them, not just the product or project. When they follow you, you have gained influence. Use it with care.

Management by walking around matters.

We are always walking around, but are we managing as we rush off to the next meeting? Are we aware of our influence as we rush down the hall. Do we forget to say hello. Do we forget their names? Do we ask them how they are when what we really want to know is how the hell is your end of the project? Walking around can be dangerous to our ability to make things happen.

It's no so much the walking around. It's what you talk about while you do it, and that you do it at all. Widener's rule #3, consider other people's interests as more important than your own, tells us what to talk about with them. It also tells us to regularly make the rounds and to talk to each of them. Business is about relationships, not deadlines. Commitment springs from them not you. Deadlines are met with commitment. Commitment hinges their relationships with you.

So what to talk about? Ask them, "is everything going well?" Ask yourself, "am I looking out for them?" Ask about their families, their hobbies, their lives. Do not talk about work. Talking about work will just make them fear you. Build your relationship with them. Be deeper than work. Make sure they know you care.

People love to talk about themselves. Ask them questions about themselves. Be interested.

How many times has someone asked you how you were as they crossed your path in the hall expecting a status report? Get your status reporst via email or IM. And, if get them that way, make sure they've met you before you ask for email or initiate an IM. If I don't know who you are, you won't be getting a status report--security, not attitude.

You want people to like you, respect you, and admire you. Remember that as you rush down the hall. Hardly a day will pass where your influence either grows or diminishes.

As the CEO of the product, the reach of your influence is vast. It touches every in-offer component of the business. So you have a lot of folks to talk with. Projects are characterize by the fluid nature with which people come and go, so you need to influence those who are on the team right now, and those that might be on the team tomorrow. Reduce the learning curve by talking with them before they end up on your team.

Knowing you care about them, makes them care about the customers, the product, the customer experience, the offer in all of its elements.

When was the last time you spoke to that guy right there? He shows up at the project meetings. What's his name? What does he do? Who is his manager or team leader? What's up with him today? You've got the time. Talk.

David Locke