Listen, Understand and Nudge

10 Apr 2018, by Calum Shepherd

Joining a product team where the team has already navigated the discovery and alpha phases can be challenging.

This is a team that has bonded through tough times and come together to solve problems for their users.

With no immediate fires to put out, what should you focus on during your first 30 days?

Listen

I spent the first two weeks listening as much as possible and connecting with as many people as I could.

It’s amazing what you can learn when you genuinely care about what the other person has to say.

Ask questions and listen. Start with these areas: product, people, process, technology, and finance.

Immerse yourself fully.

Understand

Listening leads to understanding, which helps you make sense of the bigger picture.

It’s an iterative process in the first few weeks. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ll realise there’s more to learn—and that’s okay.

You’ll want to understand the organisation, its stakeholders, the service proposition, user needs, and much more. It’s a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.

Understanding begins when you start connecting all the pieces into a coherent whole.

Take your time. Don’t rush.

Nudge

Once you’ve started to understand the landscape, it’s time to make small interventions where they can be valuable.

Work with individuals on specific opportunities to steer things in the right direction—nudging gently but purposefully.

Collaborate with the team on broader challenges, like identifying new problems to solve or answering critical questions together.

Nudging is about progress, not perfection.