Dear Susanne - How can I win over my stakeholders from the get-go?

My relationship with stakeholders, internal and external, is often troublesome. What can I do to minimise the risk of stakeholders blowing up?

You are right that poor relationships with stakeholders – and with the project sponsor in particular – are a serious risk that can contribute to project failure if not addressed and mitigated. Research confirms that having an actively engaged sponsor is one of the top drivers for project success. Unfortunately, research also shows that fewer than two in three projects have sponsors who are actively engaged. APM’s Conditions For Project Success research from 2015 highlights the importance of clear and regular communication between all parties (apm.org.uk/resources/find-a-resource/conditions-for-project-success).

The good news is that, as a project leader, you have the power to influence how the stakeholders and sponsor show up. Most sponsors haven’t been trained in how to steer a project, so you need to help them and have an open conversation about what their role is, what you need from them and what they need from you.

Establish the ground rules

The mistake that many of us make is that we spend too much time talking about what needs to get delivered and by when. While these are important conversations, we forget to discuss how we will be working together and what we expect from each other. In other words, you need to explicitly agree what behaviours and ground rules you will be working to.

Some of the most important questions you can ask are: ‘How would you like me to communicate with you?’ and ‘How would you like me to keep you updated?’ Some people prefer regular written status reports, others would like you to call them, and others prefer an informal chat by their desk. There is no need to guess. You can simply ask: ‘How would you like me to escalate urgent issues to you?’ Every stakeholder has a different tolerance level for how much they would like to be involved and what kind of decisions they would like to take part in.

Identify the riskiest ones

A thorough stakeholder analysis tool can help you understand who all of your stakeholders are. It will also help focus your efforts on those stakeholders who pose the biggest risk to the project. Instead of using the traditional two-dimensional power and interest matrix, use a three-dimensional cube with the following dimensions:

Power – is your stakeholder strong or weak? If they are strong they may have enough power (either formally or informally) to stop the project and determine its direction.

Interest – is your stakeholder active or passive? If they are active they are more likely to engage and be actively involved in the project.

Attitude – is your stakeholder hostile or helpful? If they are hostile they will have concerns about the project and could pose a threat.

The riskiest stakeholders are those with strong power, high interest and a negative attitude. Your primary task is to lower the likelihood of these high-risk relationships blowing up by changing their attitude. As you look to make these high-risk stakeholders more supportive, use your emotional intelligence and draw on your knowledge about each stakeholder’s universe. Meet them on their terms and ask them lots of questions about their thoughts, ideas, worries and hopes for the project. The better you understand the context in which they operate the easier it will be for you to build strong relationships and address the reason for their opposition.

Don’t stick your head in the sand

Many project managers avoid having these crucial conversations with sceptical stakeholders with high power. But avoidance is not the answer. You need to actively engage with, listen to and address their concerns. In that way you will gradually gain their support and put in place one of the most important prerequisites for successful project execution. With a group of powerful, interested and helpful stakeholders you will be off to a flying start.

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SUSANNE MADSEN is an internationally recognised project leadership coach, trainer and consultant. She is the author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook and The Power of Project Leadership (second edition now available). For more information, visit www.susannemadsen.com

Do you have a question for Susanne? Email mail@susannemadsen.com