How consulting helped me to be a better PM
Last year, I made the switch from technology consulting to product management. While they seem pretty different, there are actually a lot of similarities between the two. One of the most crucial being stakeholder management. As a technology consultant, I would move from client to client, spending about 6 months on average with each before moving on to the next. (Yes, the road warrior life is real) Continually being thrown in a new environment and working with a variety of clients has taught me about the importance of establishing myself. Establishing yourself is an important precursor to effective stakeholder management. So what have I learnt?
Show Quick Wins
We all know the importance of the first 90 days and that people are quick to judge others. A great way to establish yourself is to deliver quick wins. Previously, whenever I started on a new project, one of the things I focused on was how to quickly deliver value to my client.
My first quick win when I started was to take on the introduction of WhatsApp as an alternative messaging channel. The business case was obvious — to cut costs by sending notifications through WhatsApp rather than SMS where possible and the ability to provide longer and richer messaging. This was a high visibility project that allowed me to work with various engineering teams and business stakeholders, deliver value and make a mark.
Major deliverables or milestones require a period of time to complete or achieve but I’ve learnt to break them down and achieve quick wins. A great way to start is by figuring out if there is a small project that you can take on and quickly deliver results. Those are not only great opportunities to work with your stakeholders and team but will allow you to prove your worth.
Building Rapport
Consulting also instilled in me the importance of building rapport. As someone who enjoys building connections with others, I have found that building rapport helps to foster closer relationships with the folks that I work with. This in turn makes it easier if you need to reach out for information or support in the future.
For my current product, I started off doing user research and travelled to the various countries we’re in and meeting with shippers. Our local Sales teams helped to coordinate and translate these meetings. During these trips, I would make it a point to get to know them better, understand the work that they do and share with them the purpose of user research. Besides being able to build rapport with our Sales teams, it was also a great way to learn more about what our shippers are asking for.
Establishing your Presence
In consulting, extracurriculars were a way for me to build my network by meeting folks that I would normally not have a chance to interact with. Things are a little different in startup world. Extracurriculars are the last thing on people’s minds but opportunities do come up from time to time. Volunteering to present at brown bag sessions or organizing company events are also opportunities to share more about the work that you do and meet others you don’t get to work with on a regular basis. They allow you to demonstrate your domain knowledge, organization and communication skills and hopefully be associated as someone who does good work.
Offsites are all the rage amongst startups and we too have them at Ninja Van. After our Product offsite, I was asked if I wanted to help organize our regional offsite. I put aside my initial hesitation and took it on because it was a rare chance for me to interact with our senior management. Tiring as it was, I’m glad I did it. The relationships that I fostered have helped me in my projects. It’s much easier to ask someone for help when they know you.
These are just some tactics that I’ve found to be beneficial in establishing myself in a new company or team and at the end of the day, set the foundation for my future interactions with them. Try them out and let me know what you think. Also always interested in learning about how others have done it. Feel free to drop me a message if you want to chat.
