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

'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 is an open discussion, usually everyone understands what is the right decision to adhere to, in terms of company priorities over team priorities.

Two area that are highly understated but very relevant as you grow into more senior roles and develop your influencing skills 1. Concise, clear and consistent communication - very few people can use a few words to explain their ideas with cartoon clarity. 2. 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.

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.

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 and impact) Execute and deliver value for both your products and teams.

1. 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. 2. 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. 3. This might be trivial but do not discuss one of your direct's performance or potential with other directs even if they work more closely with you - a mistake surprisingly high numbers of new managers make. Over time, learn to delegate and share the work and information as you see fit.

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 to get feedback on my decisions and brainstorm if need be. Finally, I work very closely with my counterparts in engineering and UX as my core triad for alignment across areas.

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 experience if it's helpful in a discussion. I also ask questions respectfully when I disagree with an issue (by stating my rationale) or when I am not clear on any given decision. I am always cognizant how and when I structure and insert those questions depending on the dynamics in the room.

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.

Three best habits to follow 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Maintain the balance of speaking time and listening time - don't take the whole time to tell your story (unless asked) but tell it in a way that there are key takeaways and time for discussion. Share the agenda or any documents for discussion in advance with an executive summary.

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 when convincing CEOs, CPOs, CSOs etc. is always to treat customer > company > team > self