At Facebook, part of our mission is to help others nurture connections. How would you develop healthy connections with your stakeholders?
Technical program managers at Facebook are expected to develop strong relationships with their teams and their stakeholders. Interviewers ask this question to ensure a candidate has the soft skills necessary to create and maintain these critical connections.
Remember to include personal strategies alongside professional techniques for developing relationships. It is natural to approach this aspect of a technical program manager's work in a way that cultivates a friendly environment in addition to one of professional trust and respect.
"First and foremost, I use performance as a method of forming strong relationships. I make commitments and work hard to develop strategies to ensure they are met regularly. I am accountable for the work of my teams, and I take ownership for the resolution of any issues that arise. I work to inspire the members of my teams to learn about their stakeholders and approach their problems and opportunities as if they were their own. I believe in working to develop a consistent level of excellency from a customer service perspective and I strive to set the tone through my own actions. I get involved personally any time I can be of service to my team and my customers throughout all of the phases of the projects I am responsible for.
On a personal level, I take the time to get to know my stakeholders. I enjoy taking them to lunch, coffee, or whatever is appropriate to learn more about them personally and more about their challenges and successes. I feel this type of regular outreach goes a long way towards nurturing connections and fostering trust in the event unforeseen challenges arise."
