What is Stakeholder Management really?

As a Change Manager, Stakeholder Management is one of your top transferable skills AND one of your core value-adds to a project or initiative. And while it might seem obvious - Stakeholder Management actually has a lot of layers and requires partnering skill sets to do it confidently, authentically and effectively. 

So, like a multi-story Black Forest Cake with lashings of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and alcohol-soaked sour cherries, let's unpack the layers of Stakeholder Management. 

Layer 1: Stakeholder Identification (a.k.a. the chocolate cake base)

The critical first step to Stakeholder Management is to actually figure out who your stakeholders are... you need to identify them. And while you might think to yourself "What a breeze, this will be so clear!", oftentimes it really isn't...

The people and teams impacted by your change are NOT the only ones with an interest or outcome. What might seem like a really simple easy change on the surface may then have stakeholders coming out of the woodwork going: "This affects us, too!". In reality it may absolutely affect them, or it might not affect them in the least. But regardless - stakeholders who self-identify still need to be noted and managed!

Stakeholder Identification usually happens upfront in your change work, but through discovery, planning, and delivery you might realise there are other teams and stakeholders who will be affected... or even pop up right before launch or go-live!

To go broader, stakeholders may include externals such as: customers, clients, government bodies, industry bodies, other regulators, suppliers, partners, competitors, and the community.

So while Stakeholder Identification is the foundational layer of Stakeholder Management, it is anything but simple. It is deep, rich, and soaked to the core with complexity.

Layer 2: Stakeholder Engagement (a.k.a. the cream)

No Black Forest cake is complete without delicious fluffy white whipped cream between its layers... and maybe even poured over the sides and top - let's not be stingy haha. So the cream actually comes BEFORE the next layer of cake. And for our delicious metaphor our cream is: Stakeholder Engagement. 

Because before you can manage stakeholders, you need to actually get them interested, onside and onboard. Stakeholders you identify OR who self-identify have no real value or reason-for-being unless they understand, believe and participate in the change. Even if that's just to confirm: "I don't need to be involved." Without engaging your stakeholders (getting to a shared understanding of the change, who they are and why they're a stakeholder), you don't really have a change. Change without people is... non-existent.

And guess what... Stakeholder Engagement is the HARDEST part of all. It permeates every bit of your cake and takes extra skills and finesse such as relationship building, influencing, negotiation, and business partnering. You might be met with cynicism, rejection, resistance, blame, shame, anger, or even complete and utter avoidance. Many a Changie has been ghosted by many a stakeholder (**sheds a solitary tear**). You might have stakeholders INSISTING they are impacted (they aren't) and others insisting they aren't impacted (they are). Everyone's busy, everyone's burnt out, and often everyone's got other priorities than to listen to you ramble on about your change. 

Stakeholder Engagement is the ultimate transferable skill, and the cream that glues our Black Forest Cake of Change Management together. 

Layer 3: Stakeholder Management (a.k.a. the chocolate cake top).

Our final layer is Stakeholder Management and this is the art and science of KEEPING stakeholders engaged, informed, ready, and updated. It's what you plan to do with, and for, those stakeholders over the course of your change. And actually doing it! Sometimes it will be thicker than your base, other times it will be thinner, and in some cases, it might have several layers itself. It can absolutely shift and slip and slide on top of your Change Management Black Forest Cake, so vigilance and flexibility is key. Especially if people change roles and jobs during your change.  Stakeholder Management is both a process and an outcome of your change efforts,  your change activities, and your change delivery. And maybe that's why we focus so much on it - it's where the rubber hits the road and what most people see. 

Some extra garnishes...

I would be remiss if I didn't make our Change Management Black Forest a dessert beyond compare and really stretch this metaphor to its full deliciousness! Remember the sticky, tart cherries? That's the magic you bring to your stakeholders through your own personality, style, and approach and will infuse everything. And the flaky chocolate?  That's the inspiration and empowerment you add to give depth to your Stakeholder Engagement and win hearts and minds. Where, when and how strongly you use these flourishes is completely up to you - used perfectly, it makes your change experience all the richer and your stakeholders very happy and satisfied.

If you're not hungry for Black Forest Cake by now, you're either a zombie or a robot and I will totally have your serve. Regardless, getting all the layers and garnishes right for your change makes managing stakeholders a piece of cake. 

If you'd like my help learning how to get stakeholders on board, come join my Leading Successful Change program.

Lata xx