| it's time to talk about the why's and how's of what to | | | | opposition. Instead take a careful look at what's |
| do when you run into another department (or person) | | | | motivating their position: why doesn't the other |
| who acts like a brick wall. Thanks to millions of years | | | | department want to work on your product? If you |
| of evolution, we are all pretty good at recognizing | | | | show respect for their underlying issue and then go |
| situations in which we are called on to compete with | | | | ahead and propose a different way of solving it, you'll |
| other departments who are willing to do business with | | | | basically cut off the opposition at the knees. In our |
| us. We are tuned to allow us to make ourselves heard | | | | product case, if you show the team that offshore |
| in these situations and to get our point across. Which is | | | | developers do a poor job of creating products when |
| why we all seem to do such a poor job when we are | | | | there is minimal documentation and by doing a good |
| faced with not competition, but rather opposition. Oh, | | | | job of development their work they will be able to |
| oh. What to do now? | | | | keep more jobs onshore, then you've accomplished |
| So what is opposition? Opposition is what happens | | | | your co-opting. |
| when the group of people that you are trying to | | | | - Redefine The Issue: Initially an issue may start out as |
| communicate with are just dead set against what you | | | | a tug-of-war. In order to solve this problem, if you |
| have to say. This is not unique to Product | | | | redefine it in such a way that it is no longer a |
| Management - a Project Manager has exactly the | | | | tug-of-war, then you can win the other side over. In our |
| same problem. | | | | product example, the issue could start out as a "the |
| If you show up in a situation where you are going to | | | | company is telling us to do more work". This could be |
| be telling your team about a great new product that | | | | redefined as "Other companies have created products |
| the company has decided to start development on, | | | | that interface with our product. In order for them (and |
| you will encounter opposition if nobody that you are | | | | us) to be successful, we have to extend the |
| talking to wants to work on that product in the first | | | | interfaces that they are using to connect to our |
| place - it's not that the new product is a bad idea | | | | product." All of a sudden, what was something that |
| (although it might be), it's just that everyone rejects the | | | | was being created for the faceless company |
| idea of working on that product. | | | | becomes a tool for specific small business owners. If |
| What's funny is that although in technical fields we | | | | you can become skilled at learning to distinguish |
| struggle with how to deal with opposition, the folks | | | | opposition from competition, then you will have a |
| who work in politics deal with it on a daily basis. Our | | | | hard-to-find skill that you can start to use proactively. |
| elected officials are forced to deal with opposition | | | | Do a little bit of research on the department that you |
| everyday and so they have developed effective | | | | will be communicating with. If there is strong opposition |
| ways of dealing with it. We could learn a thing or two | | | | to what you will be discussing with them, it will probably |
| from them: | | | | come out quickly. Look for ways to co-opt or redefine |
| - Co-opt The Other Side's Issue: this is one of my | | | | the issue and you'll have accomplished half of your job |
| favorite approaches. Don't go head-to-head with the | | | | before you even open your mouth. |