How To Manage Stakeholders

Building Bridges by Cultivating Trust and Alignment in Stakeholder Management

Reflecting on a pivotal moment in my professional journey, I recall a meeting where I presented the upcoming quarter’s roadmap to the organization’s primary stakeholders.

The atmosphere was palpable with tension, and the room echoed with silence. The feedback was clear: I had missed the mark in effectively communicating our shared vision.

While our strategic objectives were aligned, my failure to engage and communicate with stakeholders prior to that meeting resulted in a lack of trust. This oversight led to numerous challenging followup sessions where I found myself defending various aspects of the roadmap.

That experience imparted a crucial lesson: the importance of cultivating trust and understanding with peers and stakeholders. Dale Carnegie’s words:

“People support a world they help create”

resonate deeply with this sentiment. Stakeholders should be collaborators in the solution, rather than mere approvers at the end of the process.

With that in mind, I’d like to share three pivotal strategies:

1. Understand Their Perspective: It’s imperative to empathize with stakeholders’ business objectives and daily challenges. Recognize what drives them and incorporate solutions to their challenges in your roadmap. While prioritizing the customer’s voice is paramount, internal perspectives are equally vital.
2. Engage Stakeholders in Your Vision: Make it a practice to meet stakeholders individually, discussing the rationale and considerations behind the roadmap. This iterative dialogue, from the initial problem identification to the final vision, ensures that by the time you seek management’s endorsement, all are well-informed, involved, and see the roadmap’s value for both customers and their specific needs.
3. Communicate Clearly: While industry-specific terms like “sprints,” “T-shirt sizes,” and “MVP” might be second nature to you, they might not resonate with all stakeholders. Prioritize clarity and simplicity in your communication to ensure alignment and understanding.

In essence, effective stakeholder management is a blend of clear communication, collaboration, and mutual respect. You have to start by assuming good intentions from all sides.