To say that product teams are not easy to lead is nothing new. Such teams are usually organised as a matrix, whereby different team members have different people to whom they report - most often a wild mix of engineers, marketers, quality assurance workers and many others. If you want to succeed as the manager of such a team, you have to know how to influence and lead your team, even if you have very little or even no formal authority. Here are some recommendations on this topic from management.about.com.
1. Introduce your vision
Craft a powerful vision which will inspire the team. Ensure that everyone has a clear idea of the benefits the product will mean for them. Sales representatives will have a product that is easy to sell; engineers and designers will be recognised by customers and there will be enough funds for developing and designing new, improved versions. Communicate specific positive outcomes for different roles in order to get staff on board.
2. Accept the role of product leader
You may not be the officially appointed boss of all members, but you should feel that in practice at least you are an informal leader. Act consistently as the boss and the rest of the product team will start perceiving you this way. Act decisively and the team will follow you.
3. Define everyone’s role and responsibilities
Unmet expectations will cease to be a problem once you have assigned clear responsibilities to team members. You can draw up a chart in which roles are clearly specified. Your role will be to approve any critical decisions which need to be taken. Support others to make commitments and accept responsibilities, then offer praise when they fulfil them. After a while, peer pressure will appear, which will keep everyone on track.
4. Craft a process
Process is what you need to ensure that everybody knows what tasks are to be done and when. This should be easy to put together once you have defined the responsibilities.
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