The Art Of Handling A Tough Stakeholder

Below is the representation of deep involvement and stakeholder management which a PM needs to do on a daily basis.

Through this article, we will highlight the various aspects of stakeholder management...particularly the tough ones.

Identifying a tough stakeholder is an art and not science. A lot of it comes with experience. But if you observe carefully, you will find signals (as elicited below) that can help you identify a tough stakeholder. 

One’s Who Make Their Presence Felt

A tough stakeholder will ensure that they are not missed out. They will make sure that they are vocal in all the meetings and calling things out. You will find them talking for the most of the time.

Communication Control 

Delays in communication like late response to emails/chats in one of the key telltale signs of a tough stakeholder. Though the response will come, it may not land at a right time and most probably might have done the damage by then.

Self-Centered Prioritisation

The stakeholder will always elicit his requirements with a sense of urgency. There will not be enough clarity in terms of requirements and every demand comes with a priority. Most of the time, they seem to have a myopic view of their projects only and do not care about the overall outcome. 

Voicing (Negative) Remarks

Remarks always come in a critical tone. One instance that comes to my mind is during one of the project harvest meetings, when discussing reasons for delay (which was predominantly due to requirement gaps from business teams), I was told that my team needed to be a partner and not just a facilitator. While there is nothing wrong in the feedback, it was a classic case of passing the buck and blaming others before you get caught. 

Note: Please understand that stakeholders need not be always external. It can be your boss, or other dependent PMs whose product or feature is dependent on your roadmap & execution as well.

Now that we have identified a tough stakeholder, what’s next? What can we do to deal with them better? How do we ensure that they do not affect the roadmap negatively? How do we ensure that we take their feedback, but be critical in our approach? Remember, we cannot change them: What we can do is to avoid instances that can possibly land us into a situation that’s unpleasant. Following are some of the strategies that could help us mitigate the same:

Define RACI Framework

RACI (Responsibility assignment) framework helps in diligent stakeholder management. This is one of our favorites that helps us in identifying the core roles and responsibilities of each and every stakeholder we interact with. A very crisp, clear and more articulate-

You can further segment stakeholders between primary and secondary depending on the matrix below-

Listen ( & Not Hear) More

One needs to make an effort to understand the stakeholder's point of view. If something is bothering them, ask yourself: Is their need in alignment to the product’s objectives? Do they simply want things done a different way? Try to find common ground. Here are a few ways to manage stakeholders and show them they matter:

• Identify people’s role in the product, that best match their interests
• Treat people with respect and compassion, even when tempers rise
• Give kudos and appreciate stakeholders, especially when you notice positive behavior
• Provide training and guidance to all involved
• Keep an open door policy for people to share their insights

Avoid Digital Connect : Have in-person meetings

We are a strong advocate of face to face interaction. We have seen concerns going away when you talk in person, show empathy and show positive intent to sort this out. We are (currently) living in a virtual world, but when situation permits, go meet them, have a coffee. Managing stakeholders one-on-one also prevents them from influencing others on the project with their negative opinions.  When feedback crosses the line from constructive to pure negativity, it's best to isolate the situation and handle it one-on-one.

Find their confidante or be one

Try to find a confidante in your stakeholders’ team with whom you share similar frequency. The objective is to communicate the message without rubbing them the wrong side. Over a period of time, one must try to become their confidante themselves. This is a hallmark of a great product leader and they become the core to org’s communication. 

Communicate and over communicate

Communication is the key. It doesn’t harm to over-communicate both the accomplishments and escalations. Share weekly status reports, conduct & steer committee meetings to ensure that the message is conveyed properly and frequently. Highlight the challenges at the start itself so that they sound like an excuse in the end.

Bottom line - don’t spoil the relationship. The most important thing to remember is that stakeholders also want the product to succeed but would want their requests to be prioritized. However, the way they express this desire may change over the course of the execution. One day they'll support you, and the next day they'll argue if their requirement isn't done a particular way. But they're not "switching sides"—their side is the product’s success. It's not you vs. them. It’s ONE team.

PG Tip: Managing stakeholder is an absolute necessity to become a successful product manager. All the good work in terms of product planning, ideation, execution will not be fruitful, if the stakeholders are not aligned.