How do you influence people who are not aligned on the same objective (a different team with different goals) to move the needle on an interdisciplinary project?

This is probably one of the critical skills for a PMM to have, influencing without formal authority or aligned goals. I wish a had a silver bullet type of answer but the reality is, it depends! Ultimately, I try to build a solid biz case consistent of clear timeline, scope, asks, etc. and then work with xfn peers to get early input and feedback. From there, I'll develop a critical path to getting buy-in and decisions by utilizing a DIN (Decision, Input, Notify) framework, commonly used across Yo ...Read More

Shared goals are key. Show how your collaboration benefits their specific objectives. First, understand their perspective. Here's my 7-step influence framework: Build Relationships: It all starts here! Excite them with data & ROI: Facts and figures win hearts. Collaborate on strategy & vision: Involve them in the process. Set clear, actionable goals: Everyone needs a north star. Plan & Assign with timelines: Structure breeds clarity. DACI chart: Define roles and avoid confusion. Inte ...Read More

Let's pull back from this question because it does not provide a great premise to build on. Every for-profit business has the same objective of making money profitably. Making money profitable can be further subdivided into business metrics around acquisition, which can be further subdivided into business metrics around marketing and sales, which can be further subdivided into metrics around each stage of the funnel. Successfully influencing stakeholders requires finding the lowest subdivision f ...Read More

The easiest way to influence heterogeneous goals is to show how action A for goal A would provide a positive impact on action B and goal B. In the end, everyone has the same goal: increase company revenue / margins / stakeholder value. But depending on how these goals are set, you might have a long way to go before succeeding. So what would a PMM do? Identify your target goal identify the target audience and persona define their jobs-to-be-done tailor your positioning and messaging to fit the ne ...Read More

At some level, everyone in an organization ultimately shares the same overarching goals, whether that’s revenue growth, profitability, risk reduction, or another strategic objective important to senior management. When teams have conflicting objectives, it can be helpful to look higher up in the organization to identify a leader who oversees common goals across the different teams. Once you’ve pinpointed the closest shared goal among the teams you’re trying to align, take the time to understand ...Read More