Tag Archives: culture

Tools & Professional Communication Training

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I am very interested in how little advanced tools such and Mind-mapping are used by team leaders and strategic planning. Truly one of the greatest tool advances for product team leaders since the spread sheet these tools cross all communication preferences organizing thoughts visually, and in written format during group meetings.

Marketing and funnel tools have been adopted recently to the extent that marketing fundamentals are getting lost in rush to set up lead tracking or maturity campaigns. Marketing is much more than funnel management. Prospects reflect market targets, targets are developed by defined value delivered through solutions.

The white boards and post it notes are dead. As a product management professional one needs to be aware of new tools or processes. The role of PM is a key role in the organization and a profession that requires communications across the organization and external shareholders. Everything you do conveys a message, it is up to you to decide if that message is one of intelligence,  awareness, openness and organization.

We all absorb information differently and a great communicator understands then uses the visual, auditory and kinesthetic modalities when communicating.  Damaging miscommunications can (and do) happen frequently in any cross functional group. Cross-functional is by definition diverse, if we apply diversity to our interactions our success increases.

Culture is less important these days than individual experience but primary cultural issues need to be respected. High personal cultures communicate meaning not only with words, but with voice, tone, body language, facial expressions, eye contact, speech patterns, and the use of silence.

Here words play a supportive part in communication, and the context conveys the bulk of the information. People in such cultures, tend to take time getting to know one another, providing for an understanding of the broader context of a conversation. These cultures are not Europe or the US, they are cultures that have strong ties to trade and large populations that are less technical or more transient.

Other cultures that are more technical or analytic expect explicit communications. People want detailed background information before making a decision; however they are generally unaware of subtle nonverbal signals going on around them. Documents and contracts are taken seriously details must be provided.

The United States requires contracts with clauses to conduct business and the written word is taken quite literally, deliver detailed documentation to be successful. If your purpose is to ensure your colleagues and staff reliably implement to your specifications across the teams, the strategy you choose should vary. Train yourself not only on software tools but on communication/professional ideas. Do not be lulled into the idea that
all these programs are regurgitations of old ideas, the human mind is not
settled science. Each change in communication tools or expansion of the global society drives new requirements on leaders.

Culture is Strategy

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A key aspect of any strategy is culture. Internally the culture of a company regardless of size is a consideration of a strategy. If you have a does not support the level of risk that the effort requires the effort will be throttled back. If you have a high risk culture the ongoing sustaining R&D will suffer.

Clients who are high risk start-ups are viewed by large companies as high risk for poor if any follow through on the product road map. This is one of the key reasons start-ups have trouble bagging an elephant. The large customers often request code in escrow, or first rights on sale when considering start-up vendors.

Risk is a simple demonstration of culture but there are many. The same terms can be placed on the market. If you are selling something radically new and the market is satisfied and careful the offering best add incredible levels of value. People do go by the old “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” idea.

B2B sales needs to add in the cultural requirements of change into the TCO for customers, BTW that is different for all customers. Businesses have groups and functions that all act as individuals. Where the R&D team may be an early adopter. The operations or customer service group may be main stream of laggards.

Calculating culture from all aspects is a critical success factor

Process Must Add Value Respect Culture

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Small companies and start-ups rail against process. Part of this is they have not yet met a process that respects their culture.  Most entrepreneurial minds have shined of the ways they learned at big company jobs or wear their independence from the large companies as a badge of honor.

All well and good however, process enables growth period. Small companies need more communication so things do not get stalled or messages mixed. The entire collaboration industry centers on fixing this problem. Process that is clear and understood provides mile markers along the road which support understanding. Terms in themselves don’t cut it, a prospect to me or you can mean different.

Think of Product management in this, What is an Alpha or Beta or Code complete? Process lays out the road and creates a deep glossary for everyone in an organization to understand state, rules of engagement and from there can set and move forward confidently.

Culture it greater than process, rules or engagement are key to using and not being intimidated by process. It cuts both ways but culture does come first!

Whenever I see failed or rejected process it is leadership or culture at the center of any issue

A Revenue-Centric Culture

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Somewhere in the great beyond, business leaders and professors are meeting trying to determine where they slipped up that we now live in a world where business is talking about creating a “culture of revenue”! The conversation is not a “Culture of Profit” or extreme wealth building profitability but of just creating revenue? I had hoped this is simply a hangover effect from the later 90s in a few small start-ups but alas it is more.

Twitter with their vast popularity, millions of users and market awareness has started to expose that a large crowd of the web2.0 forgot revenue when writing MRDs and creating products! Granted revenue is not in the formal definition of product, however why put in energy if not to get more energy out; otherwise we are just wasting energy. Quick call congress and outlaw this waste of energy, oh I forgot that is the definition of congress! I would like to find the investor who believes in a business case with no return. This may be sarcastic but honestly revenue creates growth and jobs and all the things that move the ball forward! Sooner or later revenue must enter the equation, I have worked many start-ups where the model shifts and evolves and new revenue potential emerges or an assumed revenue stream is less that predicted but honestly!!