Stakeholders in Every Direction
This is hidden from the view of many senior leaders, particularly those who have been recently appointed.
They used to manage their own show. Their own team, own area, own budget, own set of activities. Separate from the rest, happily existing in their own ecosystem.
Occasionally they might have walked past a leadership 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.
Here’s five 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 often at the bottom of those. They may be answering to a regional director and/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
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 adding 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? And who are they?
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, 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 initiative 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 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 a list of 20 to 30.
How can I help you?
1. One to one coaching programmes for senior leaders who are swamped by their jobs so they can thrive in life. Click here to discover where you are on your journey from Frantic to Fulfilled? Just 5 minutes of your time and you will receive a full personalised report with guidance on your next steps.
2. Team coaching programmes - working IN a team is not the same as working AS a team and yet they are often treated as if they are the same. I help teams move from the former to the latter, and generate huge shifts in productivity and outcomes.
3. Talks, workshops and seminars - including topics relevant to the two areas above plus explaining Gen Z to Gen X and dealing with the intergenerational workplace. Speaker showreel here.
4. My book The Snowflake Myth will be published in 2025 - to receive a free chapter (when available 😬) please click here.
