Do you know the history of Product Management? Lore is, it started at the consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, which advertised a job called “Brand Manager.” This person needed to build a cross-functional team around the company: with scientists who came up with ideas for new bars of soap, designers who created packaging, marketers who worked on pricing, etc.

The CMO of a SaaS company argued for a fairly broad target market definition because it would be easier to make his numbers. Meanwhile, the CPO wanted the target market to be narrower, as it meant the customer needs would be more similar, and product and engineering could focus on making them very successful.

I met the CEO of a small semiconductor company who had 40% annual growth for over a decade. “What was his secret?” I asked, expecting him to say “cutting edge technology” or “really smart employees.” But no.

When a meeting is going south, it is wise to check your own attitude. We tend to judge other people’s mistakes differently than our own. So give people the benefit of doubt. They are usually trying to do the right thing from their own point of view.

Execs tend to think in terms of broad goals, like revenue, growth, and profit. But these goals are often too generic and slow-moving to be useful in day-to-day work of a product team.

I led a Chief Product Officer workshop at ProductCamp Boston last week, where senior execs shared war stories and strategies. A popular question: how long do CPOs have at a new job to make a difference?

Understanding your org structure will help you identify hidden stakeholders and their goals. We’ve talked about Functional, Matrix, and Value Stream orgs here. Divisional organizations combine one or more of these structures into a super organization. General Electric, for example, has lines of business such as Aerospace, Digital, and Power, each forming their own division.

Value Stream organizations are designed to overcome the weaknesses of Functional and Matrix orgs. Cross-functional teams report directly to a general manager in charge of a product line or market segment, shortening communication lines and making it clear who sets priorities.

Learning your org structure teaches you who has power, who you need to influence. Many tech companies form cross-functional teams to manage products in what’s called a Matrix structure.

Learn the org structure of your company and you learn who the crucial stakeholders are.

The most traditional org structure is Functional. Starbucks, for example, is organized into departments like HR, finance and marketing. Departmental objectives and accountability are usually very clear.

In today’s uncertain economy, the whole company needs to be aligned around results — especially the product team. Objectives and Key Results are the most direct way to tie the product roadmap to business results.

The super power of OKRs is alignment. When people disagree about priorities, you can point back to your objectives and key results and ask, “which of these things will move those specific needles?”

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.

A difficult stakeholder driving you crazy? Before you walk out the door, try escalating the problem to someone higher up. Many think escalating makes you look weak. But you may discover you are not the first to complain about this particular boogeyman.

Product people are often the main liaison with stakeholders. But product delivery is a shared responsibility among the full product team — product management, design, and engineering (at least).

What kind of decision-maker is your boss? other stakeholders? your teenager? Once you have a good sense for how they make decisions, you will be better equipped to deal with challenges that come up in the decision-making process. Some types:

Your most powerful stakeholders can be dangerous if your interests are not aligned. They can hamper your progress merely by sending resources elsewhere. Worse, if actively opposing you, they can send your product to an early grave. To gain their support, establish a link between your work and their focus. Gain alignment by showing them how your work will make their plans successful.

What is required in a great product person? I like Tony Fadell’s definition in his book Build: “A needle in a haystack!...An almost impossible combination of structured thinker and visionary leader, with incredible passion but also firm follow-through, who’s a vibrant people person but fascinated by technology, an incredible communicator who can work with engineering and think through marketing and not forget the business model, the economics, profitability, PR.” Do this describe you? What did Tony miss? See the definitions in Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders.

A stakeholder discovery interview is about listening more than talking, so you will have productive conversations in the future. Start with high-level questions to develop context and put your stakeholder at ease. They should be open-ended, like “tell me about” or “what’s challenging about...” Plan 5 minutes for every topic, and make a careful list in advance.
Here are some sample questions:

Your organization’s structure tells you who has the real power, how information is shared, and who makes the big decisions. Studying this will help you understand who are the most critical stakeholders to build relationships with and where loyalties lie.