The other day my leader shared the unfortunate news that one of the brightest product managers was being replaced. It was a highly strategic product for the org. The PM was highly knowledgeable in that space and was our best bet. Nevertheless, he had to be replaced. The reason - his team members couldn’t work with him anymore.
Relationships are critical to the success of a product manager.
All other skills of a Product Manager become irrelevant if the PM is unable to nurture a good relationship at work.
Relationship with whom?
Relationship with pretty much everyone else in the org - with engineering and designers in the team, cross-functional teams, peer product manager and executives.
Why is it so important?
Product Managers do not build anything on their own. They need to be able to work with and influence several others to build products. It makes a lot of difference if you have a good rapport with others.
Something that can be done in minutes, can take several unnecessary email exchanges or meetings and lots of misunderstanding and ruffled feathers if the person whom you are dealing with doesn’t’ trust you.
A high trust relationship is especially important when sailing through rough waters such as when you have to give difficult feedback, have to say no or have any difficult conversation.
This is especially relevant when most interactions are virtual.
How can you build a high trust relationship?
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| Photo by fauxels from Pexels |
Like in any relationship there are no shortcuts.
The key is to give it time and be authentic.
1. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes
We work in a global team with individuals from different countries, cultures and personalities. These differences could aggravate the misunderstanding in communication.
Someone might be having a difficult day at home. Seeing things from the other person’s perspective changes how we perceive them which will reflect in our words and actions.
2. Have a personal relationship outside work
Schedule regular 1:1 meetings with those you work with regularly. Even if there are no work-related topics to discuss, use this time to casually chat and know them personally.
Simple things such as remembering your coworker’s birthdays, congratulating on accomplishments, being interested in him/her as a person goes a long way to building a good relationship.
3. Be open and transparent as much as the situation allows
Holding information and using it to manipulate situations can only backfire in the long run.
4. Be respectful of other’s time
Being on time for meetings, including a person in emails/meetings only when required is a great way to show you respect the other person’s time.
5. Put a face to your voice
I joined a new office during the pandemic. It is been 8 months into my current job and I am yet to meet anyone from work. I can’t tell you the difference it makes when you have at least a picture to look at instead of a name in Zoom meetings. While keeping the camera on may not be practical at all times, at least adding a picture to your profile lets the other person see a human behind the screen.
6. Be responsive
No matter how busy you are, when someone pings/emails, respond. Even if it is with not all the information, at least an acknowledgment makes the other person feel valued.
7. Be respectful
The easiest way to ruin a good relationship is by being inconsiderate of the other person’s feelings and saying and doing things in a disrespectful way. It shows you don’t care which is fatal to relationship building.
Conclusion
While good relationships at work are important for anyone in corporate work, it is critical to success for product managers.
As Srinivas Krishnamurti mentioned in Maggie Crowley’s Build Podcast, the only book he recommends product managers to ready is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People. I couldn’t agree more.