How do you approach building successful partnerships across multiple functions?

The main thing I've learned - the hard way :) - is that 'listening' is key to establishing successful partnerships across multiple partnerships. When I talk about listening here, I mean really trying to understand where the other person is coming from:

• What is important to the other person? Why?
• What are they accountable for? What are their goals?
• What frustrates them? 
• How can you help achieve their goals or remove their blockers?
• How do they like to work with product managers? 

Listening out for answers to questions like these will help you in building successful relationships where you truly understand what matters to the other person. You'll be to influence others since you have an appreciation for what they value and why. If you want to learn about listening effectively, I higly recommend "The Art of Active Listening": 

https://marcabraham.com/2017/04/13/book-review-the-art-of-active-listening/

If you want to learn more about 'influencing with authority', I highly recommend the eponymous book by Allan Cohen and David Bradford:

https://marcabraham.com/2017/04/25/book-review-influence-without-authority/

Building partnerships across functions requires:

1. Define a compelling shared goal. Define a clear and measurable goal that all functions involved would consider important and would prioritize. To the extent possible, align them to goals that already exist for all functions, such as your overall company goals. The more alignment and excitement you get around the shared goal, the better the team that you'll be able to build and the results that you'll deliver.

2. Build the right team. Ensure that you have the right mix of skills across the functions and team to deliver the goal. While each function may have specific responsibilities, some skills need to be complemented across groups regardless of the function that contributes it. Excellent communication skills, collaborative approach to solutioning, and a mix of technical and functional expertise will be key for just about any meaningful project.

3. Set up the right communication structure and tools. Working cross-functionally is hard, working within your team is easy due to the ease of using already established communication channels and tools. When you set up a new initiative, make sure that the full group is communicating effectively and using the right tools to collaborate and keep each other up to date on progress. Seeing progress from other functions will inspire further action, and snowball into lots of progress done quickly.

4. Report progress regularly. On a regular basis, I like weekly or every other week, communicate progress against the goal. Make it very concrete and visible. This acknowledges and rewards those that are working on the initiative and inspires and mobilizes those that aren't actively contribute yet.

These are the tactical things that you can do. However, you should also consider constantly building strong relationships and trust with other functions before you need to start collaborating. Doing so will help you ensure that when the need arises to collaborate, you have a strong foundation to work on and can focus on delivering results.

Product Management is centered around people and the effectiveness of a PM in cultivating relationships with others directly impacts the quality of the product. Some of the steps tactics that can help build successful relationships are:

1. Invest time in building connections: Dedicate time to 1:1 meetings with individuals from various functions and use these meetings to establish personal connections, understand their perspectives, and foster trust and camaraderie. Foster trust and actively listen to their challenges, aspirations, and how you can support them. Establish a schedule for regular touchpoints beyond formal meetings to better relate to each individual and build stronger relationships.

2. Understand their motivation: Take the initiative to understand the priorities, challenges, and expertise of each function. This'll help you build empathy and enable better collaboration by appreciating the unique contributions and constraints of each team. Learn about their personalities, work styles, preferences, motivations, and perspectives.

3. Involve stakeholders early: Engage stakeholders from different functions at the early stages of the decision-making process. Seek their input, involve them in discussions, and include them in problem-solving activities. This'll ensure that other voices are heard, increase ownership, and collaboration.

4. Recognize contributions: Take the time to recognize and celebrate successful projects or interactions with your peers as it's essential to pause and appreciate accomplishments.Offer specific feedback on what you liked and found valuable. Additionally, regularly seek feedback from others to ensure continuous growth.

5. Establish clear roles and responsibilities: To avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, define and communicate the roles and responsibilities of each function involved in the partnership. This'll ensure everyone involved will understand their specific contributions and prevent friction caused by overlapping or unclear responsibilities.