April 2022 Event | Who You Know: Developing Your Professional Product Network

Actively managing your professional relationships can help maximize your success. Start with the coworkers you see everyday — what can you learn from the data analyst on your team who is great at visual storytelling? Is there an engineer who is a master at translating highly technical concerns in plain English, which in turn allows you to more confidently address project delays with stakeholders? Investing in relationships that not only expand your skills but also allow you to ask questions in a safe space is a huge asset.

Another everyday relationship that deserves conscious cultivation is your manager. Chances are that at least some of the time you are not going to have instant and perfect alignment with the person you report to. Rather than settle for something lackluster, there are ways you try to shape and enhance that relationship.

It can be more challenging to develop relationships outside your team, but having a mentor that is more senior can be very powerful. They can offer guidance from strengths that complement your own, or offer you perspectives on shared weaknesses they found ways to improve on.

Topics covered during this session will include:

  • Becoming T-shaped: supplementing a core subject matter expertise with knowledge and skills in adjacent areas

  • Managing up: actively shaping the relationship you have with your boss

  • Seeking out mentors: building relationships with busy leaders outside your management chain

  • Putting the shoe on the other foot: recognizing when you can mentor or sponsor others

  • Out of sight, but not out of mind: maintaining relationships across job changes

JB Hruska (he/him) is Senior Manager, Global Product and Technology Operations at DraftKings. Hruska joined the company in 2015 where he began his journey at DK as a QA Engineer for the DFS Web team. In his current role, JB manages day-to-day operations and drives select strategic initiatives for GP+T. He is responsible for creating and maintaining a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration throughout the organization. Additionally, JB is on the company-wide Pride Leadership Team. He currently resides in Needham, MA, and mains a druid in World of Warcraft -- for the Alliance!

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