Beyond the Code: How to Get Management on Your Side
Don't make management your Frenemy
You have just finished explaining something, and the senior leader looks at you blankfaced.
Maybe they are agitated. Perhaps they don't understand a thing you just said.
Maybe they do hear you, but they disagree.
You get a response of "no."
Your heart sinks, and then it turns into aggravation. Why? You explained it so well, why we need XYZ….
But you see, it goes beyond data and facts. Logic can only get you so far here.
You have to have management on your side, and it is not by sucking up to them. You have to be strategic to do it, which you, as a logical person, can, in fact, do!
The Bottom Line on Bugs: Why Your Fixes Need Business Context
"Hey, it's only one bug vs. five, that's good."
"Yeah, but it's a killer cockroach," - my thoughts, not said out loud.
Bugs are a reality if you work in any type of development or deployment-related work. I have seen my share of bugs over the years.
Depending on who you ask, they might view a bug as okay in the business context. They may not see it as bigger than a fruit fly. To get through to your stakeholders about how bad a bug is, you need to make them see it like a hive of wasps.
The mistake here is to get mad. No, you need to show empathy. It might be hard because you are like, "WHY CAN'T THEY SEE IT!!!!"
Well, that's your job. Also more bad news -throwing a bunch of logic at them probably will not work.
It would help if you framed the bug and why it is important within the business context. For example, a bug makes it so a certain product cannot be billed correctly. If that happens, you will have many angry salespeople potentially not getting the right commissions, a demoralized sales support team, and even worse, potential audits from the government, depending on the industry. See what we did there? There were no numbers, but it struck the emotion in a way the business stakeholders could understand clearly.
A bug might be small, but like a drop of poison in a delicious strew, it will ruin the whole thing.
But truth be known, you know that one bug is like a drop of poison dropped in a delicious bowl of hot stew. It's done for. Empathize with the business to get buy-in and raise the alarm it deserves.
More Than Metrics: Communicating Project Impact for Exec Buy-In
In my many years in tech, I have observed the various styles of project managers and others communicating the project impact. What have you seen?
Has the communication been haphazard or lollipops and rainbows?
Either is a mistake in most circumstances. The most successful approach has been the middle road of realism yet softening language where applicable. This applies whether you are in a PM role or not.
Why? Perception matters for buy-in. Even if the numbers look terrible, if all you discuss is doom and gloom, a project can be ripped away from you by suddenly ending. If this is what you want, good for you. But in most cases, we do not want this failure. What do we want when we express a project going bad? Usually, we want it to go better.
Be real, but also direct. If there is an issue, address it, but also offer room for hope in what can be improved. If the leadership team needs to do something, talk to them privately instead of blasting them with 50+ people. Trust me, I have seen both approaches; the blast approach always fails. You did need to speak though. Senior leaders and executives often juggle so much that they don't know what you need. Tell them.
Data alone being reported, even if favorable, will not be enough to express project impact. You need to control the narrative by painting the story. What is the result the project team is expecting? How will this make life better? This is social awareness, a pillar of emotional intelligence, in action.
Empathy Is the New Strategy: Making Tech Decisions Business-Relevant
My data-focused colleagues and I were faced with a directive to implement a data display tool that we knew was garbage. It would have been better to show it on just a chalkboard and live-stream it.
Here was the issue, though: our complaints were not being heard. Despite our protests, the decision was moving forward. Why?
Our concerns were not relevant to the larger business. We were focused on the development aspect of implementing the tool rather than its use in practice.
I changed the narrative to make the decision business relevant. I asked my team to provide up to 3 of their concerns, which needed to be simple and easily explained. They expanded beyond just the coding aspect of the new tool. I summarized the concerns and relayed them strategically to leadership.
The concerns were framed as being emphatic to the business and the end users of the data display tool. It was not about us but about them. We were genuinely concerned that this product was not going to serve to solve the end problem they were looking to resolve. This was the strategy to get past the wall we were hitting. It worked.
Within a week, the tide had changed. The march forward came to a grinding halt. Our less technical leadership listened, and we went back to the drawing board to find a date display tool that would better serve our needs.
A little bit of empathy went a long way.
Closing the Gap: Where Tech Meets Business
I've worked in tech for most of my career, so saying "where tech meets business" might seem a bit odd since tech is the business. I challenge you to Think of it as more of a mindset. The developer team is going to have a different outlook than the business development team
It's a mistake to assume that data alone will drive decisions or even what is logical. People think emotionally first, whether they admit it or not. We must have a certain level of social awareness to move forward. We cannot work in a bubble.
In the end, you have an objective. Define this first, then strategically work to get there. What might work to convince you only sometimes works for others. This is where your awareness comes in, to learn what makes those around you tick.
Communicate the bugs in a way people understand. Think of the end result. You drive the narrative. Get clear on your goal, and approach communicating with the executives and others in the business the right way to get them on board.
Getting upper management on your side is not about inundating them with logic and figures. Build trust. Speak to their wants and needs. Then, you accomplish getting yours.
✅ What I’ve been Analyzing this week (reading, watching, listening, etc.)
📖 I’m reading Emotional Intelligence Habits by Travis Bradberry, to learn even more around Self-Management
☕I found this article about the benefits of cinnamon in your coffee. I put in a sprinkle daily. Who knew it’s good for your brain? 🧠
✍️ I commented on a post by Ame on Data according to me Substack about how I’ve leveraged colors on my Dashboards to be more inclusive for my audience
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I empower💪tech people to elevate their empathy, to accelerate their careers
This article is a great reminder that people aren't always convinced by just facts and data. I've definitely fallen into the trap of thinking everyone will be convinced by logical arguments, and then getting frustrated when they're not. But you're so right - reframing our ideas to connect with people emotionally can make a huge difference in getting buy-in. Thanks for sharing this perspective, it's super helpful! 😊
I always look forward to your post. analytics and empathy displayed in such a great storytelling.You're an expert.