Stakeholders in every corner
This is something which can be hidden from the view of a lot of senior leaders in the public sector, particularly those who have been recently appointed.
Before their promotion they were happily running their own show. Their own team, own area, own budget, own set of activities. Separate from the rest, happily existing in its own ecosystem.
Occasionally they might have walked past a senior team meeting. There they are, coffee in hand, biscuits within reach having a chat. About something. How hard can it be?
Then they reach the top table and the agenda changes. The people, and organisations, that they have to engage with are not the same.
This blog covers some of the key areas to consider.
1. More than one organisation chart to understand
The organisational structure you have been working through on your way up turns out not to be the only one.
Your ‘boss’ may be at the top of your organisation but they also appear in others, and sometimes at the bottom. They may be answering to a regional leader or at least one form of governance.
These stakeholders are now more interested in you than they were before. You are the ‘new recruit’ in the senior team, the person in charge of the key project, the replacement for the person who was always going to be oh-so-hard to replace.
You need to pay attention to these structures because they have an impact on you. What do they look like? Who is in which position? Who is really pulling the levers and who just occupies a seat?
They will only see a small proportion of what you do, but likely form their view of your overall performance on it. When in front of them, make it count.
2. Explore the breadth
I will go into the full detail of this in another blog. For this one I will focus on the basic point. The number of stakeholders you actually have is far broader than first imagined.
All of them need something from the senior team of which you are part. How does this play out in your day to day work?
What role does value for the sponsor (which might be the taxpayer) play in your thinking?
How about all of your suppliers and contractors - what do they need from you?
What does the local community need? And who do you consider to be part of your local community?
This one is a stretch, but worth it as a thinking exercise - what will your future customers in 20 to 30 years’ time need you to have done or considered?
No individual member of the senior team engages with every stakeholder every week,and you may never need to contact them directly yourself, but they can still impact on your work. Your senior colleagues have other stakeholders which you might not engage with directly but they still affect you, even if indirectly.
3. Spin the plates
For much of the time, and possibly weeks at a stretch, you will not see or hear from many of them. Good stakeholder management means that you do more than wait to react.
As a senior leader you have a responsibility to lead on the relationships. When you end up in a meeting with a key stakeholder you did not expect to see, make the time to say hello. If the opportunity comes up for a conversation, or to give an update on a key project, take it.
When it comes to those at a level above you in the organisation, or non-executive directors, trustees etc offer the chance to check in between meetings. It shows some confidence in what you are doing and includes them in the journey. They have a responsibility to know your responsibilities and how you carry them out. By being proactive you give them the chance to do so.
4. Understand the decision-making cycles
What you want, and when you want it, is rarely the whole story.
It is important to understand the timeline for decision making in general. Does it vary by financial quarters or years? If you want to implement a new initiatives which requires resources then not best to do it just after a strategic plan for the next 4 to 6 months has been finalised.
You need to see decision-making through the eyes of the other stakeholders around you. What do they need, when and why? The project you were not planning to raise for six months may have a greater chance of success if you raise it immediately.
5. Spot the politics
Stakeholders often have agendas. This is particularly the case if they are politicians and have an electorate to answer to every few years. Ultimately their agenda can be to survive and if it’s a choice between them surviving and you, expect them to opt for the former.
The more you can help others meet their needs, the more likely they will be to help you. Relationships are built on identifying how you can help each other.
Remember that:
Even those who have worked in senior leadership roles for many years may not appreciate the full range of stakeholders who have an interest in what they do.
Those who stick to their silos not only risk not seeing the broader picture, but also dilute the level of collective responsibility.
The leadership teams I work with often come up with 3 or 4 stakeholders to begin with, but eventually have a list of 20 to 30.
