Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders

by Bruce McCarthy, Melissa Appel

Product management naturally incorporates empathy, psychology, and thinking outside the box in pursuit of the best design for products. But how often do you apply those same skills to your relationships with people in your company? By breaking the art of stakeholder management into simple lessons and frameworks, this practical book shows product managers how to manage the crucial relationships that will help you make an impact and advance your career. You'll learn how to build trusting relationships with stakeholders, optimize your communication for different audiences, get buy-in for your ideas and roadmaps, and have stakeholders appreciate it when you say no. You'll learn how

Genres: Business

301 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2024

Reviews

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Product management centers itself on coordinating several diverse, complex teams towards producing one coherent business product. It’s a fairly new role in organizations, and it’s especially popular in the IT sector. Software involves a disparate set of competencies, like writing code, graphical design, software design, marketing, customer relations, and subject matter expertise. A good product manager can act as a representative of a product’s “soul” to give voice to its essential human benefit. Alignment plays the key role in that task. A product manager gets everyone pointed in the right direction instead of living in their individual silo. This book tries to teach basic concepts required to take on that task by telling a story and identifying principles to bring this new role to life.

The story tells the tale of a new product director at a small technology startup. The field of application is personal healthcare, but that’s relatively unimportant for the book’s message. Like anyone else first navigating these waters in a new job, the new product directορ notices complex organizational currents at play. The CEO is out on medical leave; another founder, well, routinely confounds her from his position of power; other teammates are competent and well-meaning. These pieces together provide a puzzle to compile. What will come of this company? And what are the unspoken cultural rules at play?

Each section illustrates a key principle of a product manager’s role. Focused teaching accompanies each chapter to provide an academic take on the plot. By imagining the protagonist’s journey, readers gain competency to handle their own professional challenges. Books like this fall into a long history of works that teach navigating business culture via innovative ideas placed in organizational life. They don’t just instruct; the narratives make us more human while empowering us to face tomorrow’s goals.

This book achieves its aim towards a business audience. Although books about product management pose a new literary market, only a relative few have explored this topic in detail. This book has a leg up on the competition because instead of just teaching principles, it inspires the imagination so that abstract ideas become real. It should gain a large audience. A lot of people have heard the term “product manager,” but many have not seen effective product management firsthand. Putting the practices in a narrative construct allows readers to get imaginative training in this role without getting personal exposure. By itself, that makes this book valuable for developing one’s career.

[Bernadette Elliott-Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Aligned we follow Irie, product leader at Helthex, as she navigates the politics of a technology startup.

I really enjoyed the format of the book, with a story-like plot interspersed with actionable insights and advice for dealing with stakeholders. So many times I finished sections and thought how spookily relatable many of the scenarios were to me.

One of the most enjoyable product books I’ve read in a while, I’ll definitely be aiming to apply some of its tactics.

[Mathew Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. To me it felt like a handful of articles on Product Management and Stakeholder Management tied together with one really long imaginary case study, which is not inherently a problem but I dont know if it is the best way to cover the info either. The only time I would reccomend reading this book is if you get hired at a new company as a first time manager of a product management team. It may be helpful if you get promoted to the manager of a product management team, but there are probably better resources for that situation.

[GautierS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story about stakeholders management backstage, with a lot of practical wisdom, tips and frameworks shared here and there, alongside a truly engaging narrative. The story sounds more than real

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! One of the best hands-on books about product management and in general how to manage your daily life at work.

I took away so many insightful tips and practices that I cannot wait to use at work. Definitely one of the must-reads for product managers.

[user_fjifods998877 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading preview on OReily!

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tools to apply for work