Last week, we had a conversation about listening more than we talked.
When it comes to our product strategy, selfishness sneaks in when we assume our vision is shared by everyone. The easiest way to resist selfishness is to listen more than you talk. We identified a tool that helps you see not just who you are listening to, but who you might be ignoring.
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The awareness alone will help you make changes to how you communicate your strategy. But awareness isn’t enough—if we stop here, we risk the illusion of inclusion without the actual impact. Let’s put listening into action.
Quick reminder of last week’s exercise
Last week, we mapped out our stakeholders:
• Who we’re listening to
• How we listen to them
• What they want from us
This becomes your hypothesis.
EX.
I am listening to stakeholder | I listen to them by… | They want….
I am listening to customers | I listen to them by doing customer interviews, reading interaction data, and listening to sales win/loss conversations. | They want to sell more widgets.
If you haven’t done this yet, take a few minutes now. And don’t just list customers—who else do you work with regularly but may not always hear? Engineering? Sales? Ops?
From Awareness to Action: Are You a Black Hole?
Now that you have your hypothesis, it’s time to validate it. Pick 2-3 of those stakeholders and start a conversation.
Here’s why this matters: To many teams, Product is a black hole. They send in requests, feedback, and insights, but they don’t know what happens next. If they only see outputs and never see engagement, trust erodes.
So let’s rebuild that trust—by listening.
Your only job in these conversations is to understand:
• How do they currently communicate with Product?
• What are the most important goals for their team?
Do not problem-solve. Do not defend. Just listen. If they critique the strategy, roadmap, or priorities, resist the urge to explain. Instead, take notes. Understanding their perspective is the point.
Closing the Loop: Avoiding a Selfish Strategy
The insights you gain from these conversations are fuel for better strategic communication. Right now, you might be designing a strategy that makes perfect sense to you—but does it make sense to them?
Every message you write, every decision you defend, should be tailored to your audience. This listening exercise gives you the ammunition to do that.
Next week, we’ll take these insights and integrate them into our product roadmap. We’ll talk about how to ensure our strategy isn’t just a reflection of what Product wants, but something the entire organization can rally behind.
For now—go have those conversations. And remember: a selfish strategy doesn’t break down all at once. It erodes slowly, in conversations never had, in perspectives never considered. Let’s make sure we don’t let that happen.
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