Ahem.

I’m convinced that the best PMs don’t even know how they do “it” – it’s a gift that can’t be taught, only refined. Trees “leaf”, dogs “bark”, PMs “inspire”. And bribe, wheedle, cajole, blackmail, taunt, beg and occasionally bargain.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

So a large part of a PM’s job is to communicate effectively and build credibility with execs.

A company in which execs and PMs are not strategically aligned is sick. Unfortunately, this situation is common.

Anyone Product Manager who has had to deal with obstinate development managers knows this very well. Who are the developers going to follow?

Additionally, in many companies, the role of product management is ill-defined or ill-understood, particularly by those in senior management, and especially so in many Bay Area companies. In one company I worked at, the role of product management was distilled down, by the Director of Product Management, into the following:

Collect and evangelize requirements.

This guy came from a very technology centric company where Development called the shots. Guess who had authority in the company I worked at?

Changing company culture is difficult. In many companies, Product Managers don’t have authority and so, don’t be so cranky on people who feel that way. Show them there is a better way, and let them know your company is different. Then, if they are deficient in some other ways, end the interview and send them packing.

Liz,
Don’t worry, all is forgiven.

The Cranky Product Manager was so muddle-headed when she wrote that statement that she forgot her own minimum wage past, and the surly service she offered from the fast food counter. She was cranky, even at age 16, and undeterred by the scolding of her “manager” who habitually told team members to “shut the f@#$ up and just do what I say.”

Thanks for the reminder.

My point was that most people think of “authority” as the chain-of-command, I-can-order-you-to-do-something flavor. As a PM, you can’t rely on that kind of authority, so you need to develop great communications skills and use Follow the Leader style to inspire those who don’t report to you to do what you want.

That said, I stand by my post. I will say that it wasn’t meant as a whine as much as it was a recognition of a reality that PM’s must deal with, which is why I offered some (IMHO) helpful tools to overcome the problem.

Maybe that puts us in violent agreement?

As a Navy officer (8 years active, 4 years reserve), even in cases where there is actual and honest to god “authority”, it is, almost without exception, a mistake and a failure to have to use it.

The exception being the rare case where something is on fire, water is coming into the people spaces, or someone is shooting actual bullets in your direction.

And, even during the exceptions, results will generally be better if you have spent the time without immediate threat to life and limb developing people, training, and making sure that, when the time comes, people are properly motivated and knowledgable to do the right thing because they know it’s the right thing, not because they’re being told to.

“Official Authority” should be irrelevant to anyone interested in being a truly good or effective manager, regardless of blue collar/white collar/minimum wage/highly paid knowledge worker/pet owner. Resorting to “Because I told you so” is nearly always a failure.

(the exception being when my f’n 6 year old just won’t stop making the 2 year old cry. In that case, “Because I told you so” is the proper course instantly)