Listen, understand and nudge

2018 - Calum Shepherd

Joining a product team that’s already been through discovery and alpha can be tricky. It’s a team that’s bonded through tough times and come together to solve real problems for their users.

With no immediate fires to put out, what should you actually 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 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 piece together the bigger picture.

It’s an iterative process in those first few weeks. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you’ll realise there’s more to learn. 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 space of time.

Understanding starts when you begin connecting 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, valuable interventions.

Work with individuals on specific opportunities to steer things in the right direction - nudging gently, but with purpose. Collaborate with the team on the bigger challenges too, like identifying new problems to solve or answering critical questions together.

Nudging is about progress, not perfection.