The Intentional Product Manager Podcast

Success With Stakeholders

Nov 26, 2024

38:40

Join Shobhit Chugh from Intentional Product Manager with special guests Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, co-authors of Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders. This episode offers actionable insights to help you manage stakeholders, build trust, and navigate decision-making cultures. Plus, discover the surprising benefits of "mining for conflict."

Key Takeaways

00:00 Meet the authors: Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel
00:44 The Story Behind the Book: How Aligned was born
01:08 Challenges in stakeholder management: When to say “yes” and “no”
03:28 Building rapport: Why understanding stakeholders is as crucial as understanding customers
05:04 The importance of organizational fit: Identifying hidden roadblocks to career growth
08:15 Communicating effectively: Strengthening relationships between product and sales
11:00 Positioning yourself for promotions and identifying influential "power players"
13:13 Learning from others: Gaining diverse perspectives to craft well-rounded strategies
15:00 Building comfortable, meaningful relationships
15:58 Practicing empathy: Reflecting stakeholder language for clarity and connection
17:00 Turning difficult relationships around: Finding common ground and bridging divides
19:45 Earning a seat at the executive table: Building and maintaining executive relationships
21:00 Mastering “the meeting before the meeting”: Setting up for success
22:48 Decision-making cultures: Identifying decision-makers and distinguishing alignment vs. agreement
26:30 Mining for conflict: Using strategic disagreement to foster psychological safety and alignment
33:37 Trends in product leadership: Balancing empathy with founder-driven dynamics
35:12 Hiring insights: Attracting top talent in competitive markets
37:13 Where to find more about the book and authors
38:22 Closing thoughts