The Stakeholder Collaboration Triad
by Vikrama Dhiman • Head of Product at Gojek
Vikrama leads product management, design, and research at Gojek, overseeing teams across India, Singapore, and Indonesia. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential product leaders in Asia, known for building strong talent pipelines and effective product organizations.
🎙️ Episode Context
In this episode, Vikrama Dhiman breaks down his "3 W's" framework for product manager career growth, emphasizing the balance between execution (output) and influence (operating model). He discusses the specific skills required to transition into product management, how to audit one's own career stagnation, and the art of managing stakeholders without being difficult.
Problem It Solves
Enables PMs to manage friction and push back on bad ideas without damaging relationships or reputation.
Framework Overview
Three mantras to guide behavioral interactions with stakeholders, ensuring the PM is viewed as a leader rather than a blocker.
🧠 Framework Structure
Raise difficult issues without being ...
Bring out important topics without dr...
Ensure decisions are made without mak...
Be the 'Community Enabler': Connect d...
When to Use
When facing pressure from leadership to build low-value features, or when navigating cross-functional conflict.
Common Mistakes
Being 'High Agency' to the point of being rude, or being so 'Collaborative' that decision-making stalls.
Real World Example
A PM successfully pushing back on a roadmap change by bringing the conversation down from an emotional 'war cry' to a logical assessment of trade-offs.
Raise difficult issues without being difficult to work with. Bring out important topics without drawing importance to yourself.
— Vikrama Dhiman