Hustle Badger

Handling senior stakeholders can be tricky. Our top tips for managing up: ✅ Managing up means * Understanding your manager’s needs and motivations * Using processes to eliminate surprises, grey zones, and to protect yourself * Ensuring communication is effective ❌Managing up does not mean * Rigidity: informing your manager but not taking their feedback into account * Circumvention: going around or above your manager * Sandbagging: hiding negative information * Obfuscation: presenting information inaccurately * Control: trying to change your manager’s behaviours or thinking 🔧 Managing up can * Enable you to be the best employee you can be * Increase trust in each other * Give you confidence you have done all that you can to deliver at work Here's a step by step guide to doing it well Understand your manager’s needs and motivations * Employ needs based communication focusing on their goals * Understand what success looks like to your manager * Put the effort in to understand their preferences re: involvement level or how much they want to delegate * Understand your place in your manager’s priorities: you may be critical or not that important * Understand your manager’s traits: are they detail oriented, big picture.... and manage accordingly Use process as an ally  * Run 1:1s well: how to set agendas, document decisions and tick off actions * Identify key metrics, and link reports clearly to goals Nailing communication  * Ensuring no surprises: 'It's looking likely we will miss this OKR' * Get to the point when you explain or ask for something: 'I need engineers. The issue is engineering resource, we've gone from a team of 3 to 1.' * Be direct: 'I need help from you to unblock this with the CTO, or report to the CEO that we will miss' * Saying no: 'This OKR is too big, we can't achieve this on current resourcing levels' * Setting boundaries and enforcing them: 'I understand that's frustrating, but we should work together to unblock this.' Check out our full guide to managing up here [Includes 1:1 template] - https://lnkd.in/eEagBd7X

Hustle Badger's Template library has been growing again! 👉 https://lnkd.in/g-7YknBK We've now got over **26** templates for Strategy *alone* and over **65** templates in total, covering execution, people, metrics and more. They're built in Google docs, slides, Notion, Miro, Figma to help you execute day to day tasks from discovery, to road mapping, to updating your CV. All you need to do to access them is to create a free account. Check out the full list here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g-7YknBK

📢 5x free upcoming events from Hustle Badger 📢 ---> Including 1 this week ---> take 1 hour out of your day and create a snap strategy for your business. 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘞𝘦𝘥 28𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘶𝘨 I talk you through how to create a snap strategy (and create one myself) in 60 mins https://lu.ma/y473ck9c 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘞𝘦𝘥 11𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘱 Hear how PMs have really created and executed on their product strategies https://lu.ma/b8gqfugr 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁 Planes Studio 𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 | 𝘛𝘶𝘦 17𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘱 4x amazing product leaders talk about pivotal moments in their careers with David Nash, Jason Knight, Natalie Seatter, Jane Austin https://lu.ma/k4kjt0af 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘛𝘩𝘶 26th 𝘚𝘦𝘱 Expand your network and meet new PMs https://lu.ma/ef6o0o60 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘔𝘰𝘯 7𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘤𝘵 I talk you through how to create an opportunity solution tree in 60 mins https://lu.ma/r7v010w0 You can see all our events on our events page here --> https://lnkd.in/ebjYh22k

Time for an 📢 ASK US ANYTHING! 📢 We're always on the look out for content gaps to fill. What should we write on next? Where do you wish Hustle Badger had an article, a course, a template? 📢 TELL US WHAT WE CAN MAKE FOR YOU!!! 📢 👇 In the comments below

🤔 Questions you can ask hiring managers to understand their company culture: 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗦 • Don't assume it will all be ok! Have the awkward conversations up front before you commit. • If you're hot, act hot. Your leverage is maximized when you've been offered a job - the hiring manager has emotionally committed to you joining. They will put significant effort into getting you over the line, so don't be afraid to ask for another call so you can ask them more questions. • Try to ask questions in a non confrontational way (e.g. avoid starting with "why ...") • Ask for specifics. Don't tee up superficial questions that can be answered with variations of "the culture here is great". With that said, here's some inspiration for what to ask. 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 • When did the strategy last change? What drove that change? • When did you last have a big disagreement with someone? How was it resolved? • When did you last change your mind? What made you change your mind? • Can you tell me about how a big change was communicated to the whole team/company? 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 • How many people have left the team in the last year? What happened? • When did you last fire someone? What happened? • When did someone last make a big mistake? What happened, and what happened to them? 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗘 • Where do you see the boundaries between our roles? • How much influence do you expect on [product strategy]? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 • What are your typical working hours? • When did you last work over the weekend? • How often are people working remotely / coming into the office? • How are parents [and others] flexing their work around childcare [and other commitments]? 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 • What kind of person would be successful in this role? • What kind of person would be not be suited to this role? • How is success measured in this team? • What sort of things get celebrated publicly here? 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 • What will be the biggest challenges for someone taking this role? • What do you wish you’d known before you joined? • What are the best things about working here? What are the trade offs you accept because of that? What other questions would you ask? Check out the Hustle Badger course on Effective Job Hunting here --> https://lnkd.in/enzVabkZ

Here are our top templates on 🗨 Strategy 💬 : * Template to help you write a snap strategy in under 1 hour * Strawman deck to help you map out a presentation to senior stakeholders * Strategy development plan roadmap: to help you plan in everything you need to do to pull a robust strategy together * Impact model to help you assess the impact of your plans on company metrics *Amazon's PR/FAQ method: how to do it the Amazon way and write the press release for your imagined launch and then work backwards * 7 Powers: understand your business' unique strengths and build moats * Customer Journey mapping: review your customer funnels and find opportunities * Jobs to be Done: identify, categorize and organize your customers' needs Create an account to access them here - https://lnkd.in/g-7YknBK

Preparing for interviews can be tough. Here's our top tips to turn it into an science, not an art form. 🗺 Do a role mapping exercise * Highlight keywords in the job description and map your expertise to them. * Have a story lined up for every one * This will also help you have questions ready to ask when they turn the mike to you at the end of the interview 🔬 Do your due diligence * Map your contacts for 1st and 2nd degree connections that work at the company and tap them up for a chat about the open role 🔍 Audit the company to be sure you want to work there * Check employee and customer review sources, such as Glassdoor, Trustpilot * Senior management Linkedin posts 🖥 Audit their product! Spend at least 30 mins on the website, playing around and seeing what you find. Don't skip this step, it's one of the number one pet peeves of interviewers. Job hunting? Check out our course on Effective Job Hunting here - https://lnkd.in/enzVabkZ

8/10 times you see a product strategy it'll be a series of pillars or a tree. This structure is very powerful: • 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 – shows how work ladders up to goals. • 𝗔𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 – clustering things makes them easier to digest • 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 – Small, broken-down problems are easier to solve • 𝗔𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – you assess pillars instead of every feature idea There are many variations of pillars / trees: • 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 • 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 • 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 • 𝗢𝗚𝗦𝗠 (Objectives, Goals, Strategies, Measures) • 𝗢𝗞𝗥𝘀 Once you see this, it's easier look past the framework and focus on the core principles. And it also highlights the strengths and nuances of the individual frameworks: -> 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 can be used in any communication (emails / decks / docs) -> 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 focus on discovery and product work -> 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 emphasise metrics at each level -> 𝗢𝗚𝗦𝗠 & 𝗢𝗞𝗥𝘀 can be rolled out across a whole company Don't get caught up on whether you're "doing OKRs right". See how you can be inspired by this common pattern to solve problems you have. More tips on creating your strategic pillars here: https://lnkd.in/e9PjjFqV

6x free upcoming events from Hustle Badger 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘛𝘩𝘶 22𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘶𝘨 Expand your network and meet new PMs https://lu.ma/ah4z301n 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘞𝘦𝘥 28𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘶𝘨 I talk you through how to create a snap strategy (and create one myself) in 60 mins https://lu.ma/y473ck9c 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘞𝘦𝘥 11𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘱 Hear how PMs have really created and executed on their product strategies https://lu.ma/b8gqfugr 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁 Planes Studio, London 𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 | 𝘛𝘶𝘦 17𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘱 4x amazing product leaders talk about pivotal moments in their careers with David Nash, Jason Knight, Natalie Seatter, Jane Austin https://lu.ma/k4kjt0af 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘛𝘩𝘶 26th 𝘚𝘦𝘱 Expand your network and meet new PMs https://lu.ma/ef6o0o60 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 | 𝘔𝘰𝘯 7𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘤𝘵 I talk you through how to create an opportunity solution tree in 60 mins https://lu.ma/r7v010w0 Visit Hustle Badger for help in key phases of your product career --> https://lnkd.in/g-7YknBK

Starting a new role? Suggested onboarding guide (for ICs): 𝟭. 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 Discuss with your boss: • What does success look like in 3/6/12 months? • If you only get 2-3 things done in next quarter, what should they be? • How much do they expect/want to drive strategy and stakeholder comms? • What are the biggest worries they have overall? Are any related to your work? • How do they like to work (working hours / 1:1 format / communication style)? 𝟮. 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 Pick 1 to build internal credibility quickly: 1. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - go speak to a load of customers 2. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - do some analysis that hasn't been done before 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 - map out a flow or process x-functionally for the first time 4. 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 - spend a week in a team you're working closely with (e.g. customer service) Develop a unique and valuable perspective on the business in your first few weeks. Make this happen before you get drowned in BAU. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 Ask for 30 mins 1:1 with the people immediately around you and go from there: • What do I need to know? • What are the biggest challenges we face? • Who else should I speak to? If you don't understand something ASK. In your first few weeks there are no dumb questions. That's less true after 6 months... 𝟰. 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗬 Met some people? Built some credibility? Get a snap strategy down on paper: • This is 1-2 pages / takes 2-3 hours to write • Summarises your hypothesis about where you should focus Things to include: • What's your team's mission? (qualitative) • What's your team's measure of success? (quantitative) • What is the company / market context (2-3 paragraphs) • Who are your users? What are their needs? (1 line description with 3-4 bullet points x1-2 key users) • What are your company's superpowers? (3-4 bullets) • What are the 3-4 pillars you will focus on? (2-4 themes with title + short description) • What are things you might build under each pillar? (3-10 bullet points) This is really valuable for: • Collecting your thoughts • Having something that others can give feedback on • Having something you can continue to build on 𝟱. 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟 Know the business rhythm to avoid unexpected surprises: • Are their product/sprint reviews? • Quarterly planning? • How are OKRs / goals set and reviewed? • What are the expectations for each of these? 𝟲. 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗚𝗧𝗠 You need to know how you find and sell to customers: • Who are your target customers? • What is the value prop? • What channels do you find customers through? • What is the business model and drivers? Done all 6 steps? You should be in pretty good shape 😎