Episode 18: How you can avoid random acts of productivity

I’ve always enjoyed product marketing because of its cross-functional nature. By design, you provide additional leverage to both R&D (product, engineering, design) and GTM (sales, marketing, success) so you are constantly downloading or uploading info for one of those teams.

The benefit of this cross-functional work is every day feels slightly different and you also get an understanding of the business as you see initiatives go through every major function of the company (build <> sell <> iterate).

The downside though is you get constantly asked for input/feedback on initiatives that are not always clearly defined or scoped; I call these random acts of productivity.

A few years ago I would have told you that these random asks are opportunities to set firmer boundaries, articulate roles & responsibilities, and manage your way out of them. This is a short-term approach that will not have long-term gains.

Instead, I recommend embracing these moments because they allow you to build your reputation as someone who can consistently improve/deliver on projects.

Here are a few ways you can be long-term greedy:

💹 Focus on the outcome

When you’re asked to do something reframe the ask less around the tactic (contribute to a doc, feedback on a slide) and more on the outcome the person is trying to drive. Chances are the outcome (e.g. increase adoption of a product) is one that you share / would also want to contribute to.

People often ask you for help on a tactic rather than input on driving an outcome. Once you agree on the outcome you’re trying to drive you can collectively brainstorm the best approach to achieve the outcome.

🧘 Focus on the who + how not just the what

If you can’t reframe the outcome (the who), you can reframe the tactic (the what). Think about the audience you’re trying to help. If external, then what persona do they align to? If internal, then what is that team’s goal right now?

Focus on that audience’s challenges and frame your approach in their language. This tailored content will be better received by the team and ensure it’s a go-to resource for them.

◀️ Use the ask for an opportunity to do something you planned

Your reputation is built over a series of deliverables, so you want to be sure everything you do/work on is quality. Like I mentioned in how to say no at work If you can’t reframe the ask then still complete it, but use that opportunity to do something you already planned to do.

Get an ask to add a new section to a deck for some team to use in their next internal meeting? Finish that and combine it with the other information you had planned to update for all customer-facing teams. Now it has become a forcing function for you to do the work you had already planned to do and you can help someone else in the process.

During promotion cycles there is a calibration step where your manager will ask other leaders about their interactions with you to ensure the feedback is consistent. All interactions with you matter.

For you, you’re juggling each interaction with separate context separately, but for that person they are comparing (consciously or subconsciously) to every other time they have reached out for help.

An easy way to ensure the interaction is positive is to be helpful and the best way to be helpful is to leave whatever you work on better than you found it.

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✨ Special thank you to Gigi Marquez who suggested I start this newsletter 🙏7Iq