How to Work Effectively with XFN Teams Outside of Core R&D

Bridging the Gap Between Product Teams and Business Stakeholders

A few days ago, I had an interesting chat with a PM I’m mentoring.

She asked, “Why it’s so much harder to work with XFN stakeholders outside of R&D? It feels like I spend three times as much time with them but get nowhere. Meetings are longer, there are more of them, and I often feel like I’m just spinning.”

I’ve heard this sentiment a lot—and I’ve felt …