Jules Walter: evaluation

Transcript context

…That works really well. Anytime I get an email request of, "Hey, could we do a 15-minute Zoom or a copy chat," I quickly do not have time for that. But an actual question that I can be really helpful with really quickly, that's so much easier, so that makes a lot of sense. The next thing I wanted to ask you is: how do you build and continue this relationship? And then once you actually start engaging regularly, what do you suggest folks talk about in these meetings if they're ongoing. I make sure to bring something very specific that I'm dealing with where they can provide input. And this is the opposite of what many people do where they're like, "Hey, can you tell me about how you... Whatever, your path to PM," which may or may not be relevant to them, versus, "Hey, I've interviewed for three companies. I'm trying to decide among those three. Can I walk you through my thought process and get your feedback?" So, it's very different. I definitely make sure I bring a very specific context, and sometime it could be... I mentioned the example of Bangali like, "Hey, I'm now a growth PM at Slack. I'm trying to improve activation. Can I talk to you about how you approach growth in general?" Or it could be, "Hey, I'm having internal..." Let's say I have internal mentors at Google and I have a few, then it's like, "Hey, I'm about to have this negotiation with this team. Can I walk you through my thought process and hear your advice?" So, it's very specific things. And then the other thing I'll say, too, is when I talk to mentors, I always take notes. I mean, I'm seeing you even here in this interview. You're taking notes. These are basic things people don't actually think about it sometimes. And then when I follow up, whether it's via email or in person, I bring up older conversations. It's like, "Hey, remember last time we told about X? I did it," or "Hey, how's your daughter? I know she was going to college this semester. How did that go?" So, it always feels like a continuation of a conversation and it feels like an actual relationship instead of transactional interactions. And then the other thing, too, is I try really hard to identify ways that I can be helpful. Sometimes, at the end of chat I'll be like, "Hey, is there anything I can help you with? Anything top of mind for you?" And sometimes the person could be senior or wealthy, doesn't matter, and they're like, "Actually, yes. I'd love to better understand how the team is really doing. Nobody will tell me the truth," or "Hey, I am trying to hire for this role. You have [inaudible 01:04:43] Black PMs. Do you mind sharing?" There's always ways you can help, but most people are so focused on themselves that they miss out on these opportunities. The point about coming back to the person and sharing what impact their advice had and how it went is so good, because to your point, it just feels like you're sharing all this advice and just isn't going anywhere. And then note-taking, such great stuff. This is really good advice. I could see how it would work on me if someone's asking me for advice.…

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