AMA: Hubspot Former GM & VP, Products, Poorvi Shrivastav on Influencing the C-Suite

April 19, 2022 @ 10:00AM PT

As a product manager, how to establish credibility and trust in people around you?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

I strongly believe that you need to be 'A' level in your core skills - vision, sequencing, and execution. For leaders, the skillset extends to coaching their teams to be 'A' level in the game.

When you do that consistently, people develop trust in you.

There is no shortcut to gaining credibility in my opinion.

683 Views

3 requests
What do your interactions with the C-Suite look like on a regular basis?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

I interact with c-suite in my current role across a variety of forums - 1:1 meetings, business reviews, off-sites, brainstorming and problem solving forums etc. In my 1:1s - I focus on two aspects. Growing the business and any areas that I need help on and my own team/ my own career and where I am investing time gaining the skills I need to be able to grow. In group meetings - I focus on wearing the company > team > self hat, to present viewpoints and bringing any perspective from my past ...Read More

1,182 Views

2 requests
What advice do you have for new managers?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

Establish connections with your team - a mutual shared understanding of individual values and drivers is important to building a cohesive team. The first step towards that comes from building connections by getting to know more about your team members. Be empathetic but also efficient in delivering outcomes - don't shy away from giving feedback. I made this mistake early on. Timely, example driven and action focussed feedback can drive huge value for you and your team. This might be trivial but ...Read More

1,525 Views

3 requests
How do you ensure alignment when you have two senior executive stakeholders who disagree with each other on the proposed strategy and you are stuck in the middle?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

'The stuck in the middle' is often a symptom of a larger problem which results from lack of operating principles for decision making. For example: we follow the DACI model for decision making where the individuals might be participating in discussion but they would not be the driver or approver of the decision. In this situation, I often ask the relevant leaders to write one pager memos explaining the issue in their words and their suggested recommendation. Once the problem is on paper and there ...Read More

614 Views

8 requests
When establishing a new team, what’s your first 90 days plan?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

1. First 60 days Learn about the business, product, and people incl key stakeholders and team mates 2. Next 30 days - Establish a vision and plan (or update one if the team already has it) along with the team on your key business priorities and path forward 3. Next 30 days (4 months mark) Evangelize and gather feedback on that plan from cross-functional teams within the company Establish operating model and shared values for your teams (e.g. my current team values are integrity, determination an ...Read More

1,345 Views

2 requests
What do product managers get wrong when trying to influence the C-Suite?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

A common mistake most product managers and sometimes even senior product leaders make while convincing c-suite in favor of a particular decision is bringing in tunnel vision related to just their own product area or business vertical. Spoken differently, they fail to treat company over their own team. Analysis that takes into account the holistic view of the company (even if it hurts your own area in short term) brings confidence and conviction with senior leadership. The hierarchy of needs whe ...Read More

1,351 Views

3 requests
What are the best habits to do when working with C-Suite?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

Three best habits to follow Clear communication strategies on why you are meeting, what problem you are trying to solve, what is the solution in your mind and the reasoning behind it. At the end of the day, they'd want to know how they can help so make it explicitly clear. Absorb the chaos and churn clarity - it's important to have control and context at all times even if there is confusion amongst the larger audience. Maintain the balance of speaking time and listening time - don't take the who ...Read More

1,213 Views

3 requests
What are some of the best ways to begin becoming a more influential Product Manager?
Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y
Two area that are highly understated but very relevant as you grow into more senior roles and develop your influencing skills

Concise, clear and consistent communication - very few people can use a few words to explain their ideas with cartoon clarity.

Listening and repeating - pay your highest attention in conversation, repeat to drive clarity and refer the anecdotes/ learnings in future communication. It will drive organization's trust in you.
905 Views
3 requests
Earlier in your career, how did you work with the C-Suite?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

I did not explicitly schedule meetings for the sake of meeting. I looked for opportunities to come my way when I was invited to be a part of a discussion or presentation and focussed on nailing down those 5-10 minutes. I always prepared a question or two on strategy or vision to ask if provided an opportunity.

This could also be different because earlier in my career I worked for very large organizations. I could imagine having a more close relationship with your c-suite at a smaller company.

1,118 Views

3 requests
Who do you align yourself with to gain momentum in the leadership organization?

Poorvi Shrivastav

Meta Senior Director of Product Management • 4y

Alignment is a function of trust, respect and growth. I do not practice aligning for the sake of gaining political clout in an organization. I often start with a well rounded set of individuals - peer leaders in the same function, cross-functional leaders in other parts of the organization, a set of mentors, and of course my team and working partners across engineering and UX and develop and invest in these relationships. In short, I maintain an advisory group in the company, to which I can go t ...Read More

1,043 Views

3 requests

AMA: Hubspot Former GM & VP, Products, Poorvi Shrivastav on Influencing the C-Suite

View AMA Answers

As a product manager, how to establish credibility and trust in people around you?

What do your interactions with the C-Suite look like on a regular basis?

What advice do you have for new managers?

How do you ensure alignment when you have two senior executive stakeholders who disagree with each other on the proposed strategy and you are stuck in the middle?

When establishing a new team, what’s your first 90 days plan?

What do product managers get wrong when trying to influence the C-Suite?

What are the best habits to do when working with C-Suite?

What are some of the best ways to begin becoming a more influential Product Manager?

Earlier in your career, how did you work with the C-Suite?

Who do you align yourself with to gain momentum in the leadership organization?