How do you manage people who don't necessarily report to you? This could be while giving feedback on a piece of work? Or getting them to prioritize the project you're running.

I treat my cross-functional partners as if they’re my customers. So, I spend most of my 1/1 time with them learning about what they care most about, what key challenges they face, and the goals they are working towards. If I need their help, I always ground our conversation in how their support will help us both achieve a common goal. If I can’t find a common goal, then I know I have two options: Figure out who else in the organization does have that goal (and get them involved) or change the sc ...Read More

One of the most challenging parts of a cross-functional role is managing a project with people across the organization who do not report directly to you or your function, but it is necessary. To be a good cross-functional leader you will need to provide clear direction and be a trusted business partner. Here are a few things I’d suggest in your work with other teams: Leadership alignment: Ensure that the leaders in your organization and their organization are aligned on the strategic importance ...Read More

You don't need anyone to report into you to be successful in leading a program/initiative/campaign. My recommendation of aligning to stakeholders also stands with collaborators. I recommend an initial meeting to get to know each other and communication preferences including their preferences on receiving feedback. If time permits, setting up a 1:1 cadence to ensure you have a regular touch base can make it easier to deliver feedback and influence prioritization. As the project milestones are hit ...Read More

Empathy, humility, data that supports greater business goals: Empathy: Giving feedback, especially to those who don’t report to you should be done objectively, but with tact and respect, make suggestions, use clear, simple language, data and insights where possible. Humility: Help all boats rise, if you don’t know the answer to something you are providing feedback on, collaborate with the individual to work towards a solution, or bring in others to help. Be a teammate. Jumping in and critiquing ...Read More

The approach for managing people who don’t report to you will be different from your direct reports. This can equally apply to feedback on a piece of work and prioritizing your project. However, it all starts with building relationships. A few of the key ingredients to a successful relationship include: Validation of the work being completed Acknowledgment of the effort and attention that is involved Communication that is clear, transparent and informative It’s critical to be thoughtful in your ...Read More

With respect. That means, giving them full visibility into the project that you want to collaborate with them. Ensure they are part of the communication – email/slack, etc. (if not actual meetings to optimize time and effort) with the larger team. Once they understand the complete scope of the project, they know what is at stake and will prioritize it on their own.   When it comes to giving feedback, it is always best to give data-driven, iterative and actionable feedback. An open communication ...Read More