Storytelling for Product Managers

Storytelling differentiates the average Product Managers from the awesome Product Managers. There is literally no other skill that comes close when it comes to differentiating PMs. Given that PMs lead by influence, not being able to tell a consistent, compelling story, is going to slow down your career progress.

I have been curious about how PMs come up with, and tell great stories. What differentiates great stories from mediocre ones? When should stories be used? And is there a “checklist” that you can follow to come up with an amazing story? Let’s get into it.

Drift says that the way we communicate is changing. Very simply — we instant message. We like to get immediate responses.

But there is a conflict between how people market and sell and how they communicate. Why should you communicate with businesses any differently than how you communicate with real people?

The existing method of communicating with businesses seems to be that you fill out a form, then you get an endless series of emails from the business, and eventually, calls to buy from them.

The way to resolve this conflict is exactly what Drift offers: instant messaging for Marketing and Sales powered by Bots so that you don’t have to reply to everyone!

PMs tell stories all the time, but let’s go deeper into some areas where stories are most important.

Let’s face it — you can only be a great PM if you have a great team. And a team becomes great when it is united and dedicated towards your mission. People go the extra mile if they believe in what they do — both logically and emotionally. They need to deeply understand why what they do matters.

There are two aspects of storytelling that are vital in this situation.

The first one is consistency. Don’t follow a different theme each week. The stories you tell must follow the same core message week to week. Inconsistency gives the impression that you don’t have your story straight. As the great saying goes “Repetition does not spoil the prayer.”

The second one is customer focus. It is much easier to inspire teams by showing the impact you are having on your customers, rather than impact on internal business metrics.

One way we keep our team at Google motivated is via our weekly kickoff meeting. We begin the meeting with a “customer share,” highlighting a story where we were able to make an impact for our customers, and kept them happy and delighted to be using our products, and to be working with us.

One of the ways leaders shape behavior is by showcasing what awesome looks like. Recognize people who act in amazing ways. It will not only inspire them, it will paint a picture of what behaviors are valued in your organization.

Before a single line of code is written, before a screen is designed, before anything is shipped, you need to clarify what is the story you are telling your customers. It should be convincing. It should inspire. It should be consistent with what your company stands for. And more than anything, it should matter to your customers

As a PM, you have to learn how to sell yourself. To get the next responsibility, the next career move, the next job. And the medium you use is stories.

PMs love to quantify impact on their resume. And that is great. But what will get you the job is the ability to tell a compelling story about what you did, what situation you did it in, what it meant for your customers and your company, and why it personally mattered for you.

This is the most important category in my opinion. What story do you tell yourself, about you? Why do you exist? What is your mission? What change do you want to bring in the world? Why does it matter to you personally? What are the two or three incidents during your life that have gotten you to where you are?

This is a force multiplier. I have found that unless I clarify why doing something matters to me personally, and unless I clarify the narrative to myself, I will give up at the earliest signs of trouble. But if I get to the root of what matters to me and why, I will be resilient, I will face discomfort, stretch beyond my comfort zone, and likely achieve what I set out to achieve.

Let’s get through a simple way of writing that story you want to tell. Answer the following questions in as much detail as you can, and you will see a story emerge!

Use the structure provided here to clarify your story to yourself. Remember the four elements — the change in the world, the conflict, the resolution, and the people behind the resolution. And then tell me, how did it all work out for you?

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looking back.. and forward. “2019” is published by Baran Kayhan.