In the discipline of product management, your ability to sway opinions, garner support, and drive action is more than just a skill—it's your superpower. As product leaders, we navigate complex landscapes, align diverse teams, and turn vision into reality.

But how do you elevate your influence to not just ideate, but lead transformative impact?

This isn't about wielding authority; it's about mastering the art of persuasive connection. In this post, we'll explore 5 techniques to maximize your influence that are not just about achieving short-term goals but about forging lasting, impactful relationships and driving success in a way that resonates with integrity and empathy. These aren't just theories; they're practical, powerful tactics backed by research and proven in the trenches of product leadership.

1. Frame things in terms of how it helps others succeed

When you're sharing information or proposing an idea, it's not just about the facts and figures. It's about connecting those details to how they benefit your audience. Think of it as helping rather than boasting.

At Microsoft we evaluate employee performance in three ways: (1) individual impact, (2) contributing to the success of others, and (3) leverage the work of others.  All three are equally important.  By framing anything you're sharing in terms of how they help others, you connect the dots for them on how your work can personally benefit them.  This is true whether you're offering help, information, or support, when others see what they can gain from you, they're naturally more inclined to listen and support your ideas.

It's like social media influencers who discuss their favorite products and services; the best influencers convince you that the product or service is going to make your life better.

Try it out:

When you send your next status report, transform your data into insights and then connect those to how others can benefit from what you're sharing in their own work.

2. Remind people how they’ve helped you

It's rewarding to hear how your work helped someone else succeed, even if you weren’t directly involved on a team doing the work. Perhaps you played an advisory role or laid the groundwork with a prior effort.  And if you work at Microsoft or somewhere that evaluates employees like we do, you might have explicit goals to help others and leverage their work.

It doesn't take much effort to acknowledge others and the benefits far outweigh the costs. That person just became far more likely to want to help your project succeed, along with future projects because they remember the gratitude.

Try it out:

For your next feature release, thank everyone who contributed directly and who paved the way for your success even indirectly, by perhaps experimenting before you or building underlying technologies that were used in your release.

3. Make it accessible

You want your message to be easy for your audience to digest. Otherwise they will hit "delete" and move on.

This preference for easily understood information is backed by cognitive fluency research in psychology, suggesting people favor content that doesn't make them work too hard to understand.  It may sound lazy, but most of us behave this way, and the more senior the leader, the more picky about time people tend to be.

It's like giving a TED Talk; you aim to make complex ideas accessible and engaging.

Try it out:

Before you send your next important email, consider writing a draft and then asking yourself how you can keep it to fewer words, and only the critical information.  Generative AI can be an immensely useful tool here as well.

4. Understand what motivates others

Is it recognition, achievement, or a sense of belonging? By tailoring your message to align with their desires and goals, you're much more likely to get through to them.

Successful salespeople do this all the time; they tune their pitch to directly address their client's specific needs and wants. The effectiveness of this approach is well-documented in motivational theories like Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Try it out:

Create a stakeholder needs map for your next big idea and translate how your idea or work helps them achieve their goals.

5. Do no harm

Before you try to influence someone, make sure that what you're encouraging is genuinely good for them and the company. It's about building trust and credibility for the long term.

If all we had to do was convince others transactionally to help us get what we want without any regard to their well-being we might influence them to do things they would come to regret.  That can harm relationships and label you as someone not to be trusted.  Those people will tell others so the costs far outweigh the means, not to mention it's unethical.

The key thing here is that you aren't aware of anything that could harm the person helping you if they were to follow through.  That's when influence becomes manipulation.

Try it out:

Using the same stakeholder map above, consider carefully whether you have reason to believe that any of the stakeholders you seek to influence could be harmed if they help you.  If you have reason to believe they would be harmed, only ask them to help if you are willing to disclose your information (so they can make a decision for themselves) or avoid trying to influence them.

As we've explored in this post, transformative influence is not about exerting authority but about crafting connections and understanding the needs and motivations of those around you. The five techniques we've discussed—framing your contributions in terms of others' success, expressing gratitude for support, making your message accessible, understanding what motivates others, and ensuring no harm comes from your influence—are foundational in elevating your impact as a product leader.

Remember, at the heart of influence is the genuine desire to create positive outcomes for everyone involved. As you implement these techniques, observe the changes not just in how others respond to you, but also in the quality and integrity of your interactions.

Next week, we'll dive into Part 2 of this series, where I'll share 5 additional techniques to further enhance your influence. We'll look into more nuanced strategies that address complex challenges and opportunities for product leaders in today's ever-evolving landscape.

Until then, I encourage you to try out the techniques discussed today. Reflect on your experiences and prepare to share your insights. Wherever you find yourself on the path to becoming a transformative product leader, every step you take is a leap towards greater impact.

What’s Next?

• Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below or on social media. How have you applied these techniques, and what were the results?
• Subscribe to ensure you don't miss the next part of this series.
• Start preparing for next week by considering which areas of your influence you'd like to strengthen further.