stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder Engagement: The Seven Guiding Principles

July 11, 2013 by Colin Gautrey

Much has been said about how to do stakeholder management. But it is easy to miss opportunities to accelerate the level of engagement with your stakeholders and make sure they are the right ones too. To help keep you focused on deciding how to engage and whom to engage with, here are seven stakeholder management principles which, if followed, will move you faster towards your goal(s).

A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in what you are trying to achieve. This interest could be positive or negative. Anyone who is going to win when you win, or lose when you win, is a stakeholder. Even if their loss is simply having to do their job a different way, they could be a very important stakeholder. This makes for a very large group of people.
Focus on the stakeholders who have the Read More

How to Engage with Your Stakeholders

March 25, 2013 by Colin Gautrey

The thinking you have done so far in the process is likely to be useless unless you get active. Careful preparation before you engage your stakeholders will increase the probability that you’ll achieve your goal. And this stage is all about preparation. It explores a wide range of different topics related to engaging with stakeholders. Each of these topics could justify a book in its own right, so what I have tried to do is keep it simple and brief. Where I think it useful, I have also referenced other books which can be found in the library. One of the temptations with the Stakeholder Influence Process is to fly into action as soon as you get the first big flash of inspiration. That may well yield the result you want, but please consider pausing just a moment longer to make a clear decision about how you wish to tackle each Read More

Choosing Your Stakeholder Engagement Tactics

March 20, 2013 by Colin Gautrey

There has been a great deal of research done over the last few decades on influence, which has yielded some fascinating insights into how to engage with your stakeholders. Dr. Cecilia Falbe and her colleagues compiled and researched a range of distinct tactics which are commonly used in the workplace. They then set about considering the likelihood of the tactic being successful. The great thing about their work is that it provides a quick checklist of different approaches you could use, so that you can decide which one fits your purpose best. Provided you are aware of the likely consequences, you can Read More

What Do You Do when You Meet the Unengageable?

March 5, 2013 by Colin Gautrey

As a motivated, successful and positive individual, it is all too easy to filter out the reality that not everyone is like you. Of course, everyone should be, shouldn't they? Totally bought into your idea, swelled and inspired by your enthusiasm, swept along with the change contagion. Yet as a fellow reader of the ATD, I know you know better than that. Many people out there you have to engage with are cautious (if not suspicious), worried, objectionable or simply not interested in your latest change project. Engaging with them requires a different approach, which may take you out of your comfort zone and could even challenge your integrity. But knowing this is one thing, doing it is quite another matter. Here are a few ideas to develop your practice...

Check Your Attitude. Allow for the fact that it is okay for people Read More

Engaging and Influencing Stakeholders

February 17, 2013 by Colin Gautrey

Stakeholders are important people who share an interest in your success. You need to engage with them at the right time so that you can influence them as easily as possible. Stakeholder influence doesn't just happen; you have to make it happen. By engaging with your stakeholders early, you stand a much better chance of being able to help them to understand what you want to achieve. Critically, you need to develop a clear appreciation for their stance in order that you can pitch your goals in the most favourable light.

"Proactively seek out, engage, and influence your stakeholders."

You can find stakeholders in many places. By thinking Read More

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