How to PM
A few years back, I had a birthday (I normally do this about once a year). I happened to be traveling at the time, but I was with friends, and I’m not that big on birthday celebrations anyway.
I spent the day of hanging out with amazing people from Awesome Foundation chapters all over the world. Ellen (who was attending the same event) snuck out with me in the middle of the day for some ice cream at Tosci’s. In the evening we went to a friend’s house where we had a semi-authentic Russian dinner (there were a lot of questionable rituals involving vodka) and birthday cake. I mentally checked it off as a pretty great birthday and immediately forgot about the whole thing. After all, I’d already celebrated twice as much as usual.
Unbeknownst to me, Ellen wasn’t done with my birthday.
When we got back to Seattle, I returned to my normal routine, completely unaware that one of my closest friends was quietly plotting against me. She organized a group of my closest friends. She picked out a cake recipe. She figured out a date that worked for everyone.
Except me, that is. Oblivious to their plans, I had RSVPed to a party on the evening they had selected.
Ellen did what any good PM would do: she identified the blocker to shipping and systematically dismantled it. Specifically, she contacted the friend who was throwing the party and convinced her to help make sure I did not attend. Unsure exactly how to go about doing this without ending our friendship, she asked Ellen what to say to me. Luckily, Ellen was prepared for this situation and suggested that she “tell [me] that it’s canceled.”
Ellen followed up by inviting my friend to the surprise party she was throwing for me.
(My friend declined. She was hosting an event that evening.)
To Ellen’s credit, I thought nothing of it when my friend texted me with the news that the party was off. And I certainly didn’t expect to come home to cake and party hats.
