When starting at a new company, you can guess powerful stakeholders by looking at the org chart. But don’t stop there. Sometimes there is a key player with an innocuous title, like “Strategic Partnerships,” who has influence over the CEO. Building a strong relationship with this person will help you succeed.
Consider these questions when looking for a CEO-Whisperer:
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If the company faced a major decision, what one person besides the CEO, would be involved?
Who has the closest relationship with the investors or the board of directors?
Are there a few execs who regularly have coffee, lunch, spin class, etc. together?
We have more questions to ask in Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders, Chapter 1, Organization.
Jobs
Forensic science Oritain is looking for a Chief Product & Technology Officer, London, in person/hybrid. Is it you? Ping me.
Thought Provoking
Have a free stakeholder chat with Product Coach Melissa Appel here. We were on a great podcast with Tim Wilkinson of Product Heads, a recruitment firm for product teams. The topic: Building Bridges, Not Barriers.
Events
Melissa will be speaking on The Founders’ Guide to What Product Teams Need at the Business of Software conference in Cambridge UK, March 31. She will also be running a Stakeholder Management Card Game at the Boston Women in Product session, April 7. We will both be leading a book discussion on Getting Aligned for ProductTank Mid-Atlantic, April 9.
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