Micro-Interview: Boginya Ventsislavova | PM | Quickbase | Tips on Influencing Stakeholders
💬"Understanding motivations and influence can help optimize stakeholder management for maximum impact."
INTRO NOTE:
Boginya Ventsislavova is a Product Manager at Quickbase, a leading no-code application platform for dynamic work. The company offers tailored solutions to simplify complex work from project inception to completion.
In under 500 words, she shares:
How she determines the most important stakeholders…
What her toughest stakeholder challenge taught her…
The #1 method that has helped her align all stakeholders in her favor…
Some of her sources of learning…
And more…
Enjoy!
“How did you get into product management?”
I have a very diverse background, and in hindsight, every step led me to product management. I am self-educated, and I worked in project management before I transitioned. At the time, this was super exciting, and I felt great satisfaction from seeing my customers happy.
With time, however, I realized that what moves me is the product. Back then, I was lucky to carry on projects in an interesting SaaS product, and I remember seeing multiple opportunities to grow the product. And that's how it started for me. I began to read a lot, enroll in different courses, and embark on a journey to land my first product-related role.
“How do you determine the most important stakeholders?”
I'll offer a slightly different perspective here—I don't believe there are unimportant stakeholders when it comes to product success. Rather, I prefer to consider the varying degrees of influence and priority among the different driving factors and stakeholder groups.
The key is to start by asking a series of foundational questions:
WHAT problem are we solving?
WHY are we solving this problem?
WHO are we solving it for?
WHEN are we solving this problem?
These answers reveal the most critical driving factors - often at the intersection of business goals and user needs. Products are tied to organizational strategies, but product growth requires internal alignment.
Every stakeholder plays a role in this cycle. The challenge is calibrating their relative priority and involvement level.
Understanding motivations and influence can help optimize stakeholder management for maximum impact.
“What do you know about influencing stakeholders now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”
Lead with the solution, backed by evidence, then provide context on the problem. Stakeholders respond to value, not problems. Last but not least, be succinct and to the point.
“What did your toughest stakeholder challenge teach you?”
My toughest stakeholder challenge taught me the importance of adaptability. Early on, I focused too heavily on the validated problem, neglecting how to communicate the solution effectively. Over time, I learned to tailor my pitch based on each stakeholder's unique drivers and priorities. This flexibility in communication has been invaluable, transforming how I approach stakeholder management and positioning my product ideas.
What’s the #1 method that has helped you align all stakeholders in your favor?
The most effective method for aligning stakeholders is deeply understanding their motivations and pain points. By tailoring my approach to address each group's specific concerns - highlighting ROI for executives, demonstrating user benefits for customer-facing teams, or collaborating with UX to ensure the most intuitive flow- I've gained buy-in across the organization.
“How do you stay updated on the best practices in product management?”
I am doing the same thing I was doing when I began my product manager journey: reading and continuing to attend various trainings.