Aligned: Tips to Tame the Stakeholder Zoo for Product Managers

Alignment is one of the most difficult tasks Product Managers battle with day in and day out. 

Different stakeholders, different perspectives, different motives.

The analogy that best resonated with me is of the Stakeholder Zoo in Product Management.

For the uninitiated, here’s a quick safari on the dangerous animals of product management:

HIPPOS: Highest Paid Person’s Opinion

It can be tempting to give in to HiPPOs (founders, CEOs, or other leaders),
but letting them make all the decisions leads to products or features that
haven’t been validated. This can kill morale and introduce risk, making
way for what some people call a “Feature Factory”.

RHINOS: Really High Value New Opportunity

You can recognize a RHiNO by their call, “If we just had feature X, we’d 

be able to make this sale/land this particular customer.” When you
address the RHiNO’s one-off requests too often, you are focusing on
solutions rather than solving real problems for a broad range of customers

WOLFS: Works on Latest Fire

When you neglect technical debt and issues like security and product
functionality to focus solely on new features, you can end up with wildfires
that require your immediate and complete attention. The WoLF’s cycle 

of reactivity demands all your resources, seriously hindering productivity 

and innovation.

SEAGULLS: Managers who swoops in, causes a ruckus, then swoops out again

Seagull Managers tend to be a little bit removed from your day-to-day
work. However, they occasionally swoop in, cause a ruckus, then
swoop out again, leaving the team to clean up the mess. Their
intentions are good, but they aren’t always aware of the long-term
effects of their proposed solutions.

ZEBRAS: Zero Evidence but Really Arrogant

ZEbRAs think they know it all, but rely on their gut rather than any actual
evidence. ZEbRAs might luck out and occasionally get things right—but
not nearly as often as when you take the time to test assumptions and
gather data to support your decisions.

Checkout this short video by Productboard that does a great job explaining them all:

Fear not, fellow product warriors! Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, authors of Aligned – a new book on this very topic. Here are some golden nuggets they shared on navigating the stakeholder jungle:

Unveil The Hidden Matrix: Look Beyond the Org Chart

Org charts are a good starting point, but truly great product managers see the hidden power dynamics at play. There are always those behind-the-scenes influencers who hold significant sway over decisions in a team.

Identify influencers.
Draw an influence chart.
Align with them first.

Spot the CEO Whisperers

Who has the CEO’s ear? Uncover the dominant function in the organization. So, must be Finance, for a private equity-owned company you ask?

Not necessarily.

Don’t get fooled by what seems obvious, though. Bruce shared an example of a seemingly engineering-driven company where the CEO had a daily breakfast ritual with the Sales head.

Two observations that were eye opener for him:

1. Sales was the only team nominating people from different orgs during company awards.
2. Company wide hiring freeze somehow mysteriously almost always find exceptions for the Sales team.

Engineering might have been the official power center, but Sales was the true kingmaker in this scenario.

Gorilla Techniques (for the Desperate)

Okay, this one’s a bit unorthodox. Need to get on an executive’s radar but can’t snag a one-on-one?

“Accidentally” bump into them before or after a meeting while checking their calendar 🙂 (don’t be creepy!).

The extreme version? Camp out by the closest water cooler – they gotta get thirsty eventually, right?

It might sound a little out there, but sometimes a quick conversation can do the trick. Remember, the goal is to get a verbal nod.

These are just a few tips to get you started. By understanding the hidden dynamics and employing a little strategic maneuvering (without resorting to full-on gorilla tactics!), you can round up your stakeholders and achieve that sweet, sweet alignment.

Share your best alignment tips in the comments!