Recently I listened into the planning meeting of one of my engineering teams in which they were talking about a solution to a problem which was of little value to our users and did not align with our current company’s strategy. This peaked my interest and after the meeting, I investigated to understand where the request came from. Quickly, I found that the product owner for the team had been asked by their boss to fix a problem that a C-Level brought to their attention, and was under the impression it was a critical bug.
Now this sounds good, the team is working on a critical bug raised by the C-Level. But the critical bug does not exist, instead the engineers are working on designing a solution that would prevent this “bug” from getting perceived as a bug again by introducing a new workflow targeted at this rare type of user. Even more confusing is that the organization is committed to fixing this bug right now and they are unwilling to consider putting the issue into the backlog for future consideration.
The team’s work at this point was no longer in support of the vision of the C-Level who needed delivery of a new product line, instead the team was focused on a feature with next to no market value.
This highlights one of the most interesting side effects of power: even when you are not trying to use power, it still can change things around you.
Even with my minor influence, I noticed that people will try to do things which they think I want, such as picking my favorite development tools… which would be foolish as I have not been an engineer for years now and my knowledge is out of date compared to the smart people I hire.
So how to counteract this unintended influence?
I have found a few methods to be effective so far:
- Build a culture in which others feel safe in challenging you. Commonly I will approach this in a joking manner by selecting something opposite to what the team is currently suggesting and when they counter the suggestion, acknowledge their reasons and show that you respond well to challenge. This has the extra side effect of getting the team to consider a second viewpoint and can trigger more discussion and insight from the team.
- Ask one question at a time and let others answer. The right question(s) can influence the course of an entire organization just as much as telling them the wrong answer.
- When making direct suggestions, focus on your direct reports as they are the one that know you best and will be the most willing to challenge you.
- Always Listen. I can not empathize this one enough. Listen! Listening to the organization around you will let you notice when they have started to walk the wrong direction due to an unintended use of power and give you the chance to correct.
I am sure as I continue my career this list of strategies will continue to evolve. Every situation is unique.