S1E6 AUDIO Melissa Appel on the Magical Powers of Alignment

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March 25, 2025 • 55 mins

I quiz Melissa Appel, the co-author of 'Aligned,' on the intricacies of corporate misalignment and its impact on developing and launching successful digital products. We discuss the importance of stakeholder alignment, how to tackle internal politics, and various strategies to address misalignments effectively. Melissa shares insights from her work as a coach for product leaders and her extensive experience in product management. We also delve into practical tools like alignment personas and stakeholder canvases, and offer advice for those looking to make impactful changes within their organizations. 02:06 Meet Melissa Appel! 03:18 Meeting Bruce & Writing Aligned 06:04 "Us Vs. Them" Mentality 07:38 Mining for conflict (even when you have clear goals) 09:27 Seniority means becoming a stakeholder manager 10:53 Underpants Story: A 'delivery' problem was actually a 'culture' problem. 16:06 Melissa's two-pronged approach: quick fixes plus longer-term culture shifts 19:35 Find champions by figuring out individuals' goals 20:40 The bad apples & two kinds of assholes 25:19 Glossaries: the unsung heroes of alignment 27:36 Being brave enough to say "let me get this straight..." 30:58 How to tweak the language you use to get results 33:14 How Alignment Personas fit with Aligned the Book 39:42 Get Melissas & Bruce's Free Stakeholder Canvas 45:07 Politics vs Alignment vs Agreement vs Acceptance 49:02 How Melissa builds roadmaps 50:50 Melissa's Pre-Quit Checklist For Changing Jobs

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S1E6 AUDIO Melissa Appel on the Magical Powers of Alignment