Stakeholder Alignment: The Underrated Skill Every Product Manager Needs
There is much buzz about whether AI could replace human product managers. I am not very concerned. Much of my work involves dealing with stakeholders at different levels and pursuing various objectives. AI will find it challenging to substitute that side of people interaction. I mean politics in a sense of power dynamics among multiple groups of stakeholders.
We don't like politics in the workplace, but it is inevitable when there are more than a dozen people.
Dealing with internal or external stakeholders always involves politics and personal-professional relationships. The larger the organization, the more complex the political landscape and the bigger the stakes.
The power dynamics impact everyone in the organization, including individual contributors. When an individual contributor (IC) transitions to a manager role, they become a part of the game without any choice.