If you are a change manager, project manager, or anyone really working in the project space who has unsatisfied and disconnected stakeholders, I challenge you.

I challenge you to sit there and think right now, have I understood my stakeholders needs?

Have I met them where they are?

Because I guarantee you, if you have unsatisfied and disconnected stakeholders, there is a gap.

Always look within before pointing the finger. What could you have done or can you still do differently in your change approach?

When it comes to really understanding our stakeholders and meeting them where they are, this is a key part of end-to-end change management right at the beginning.

But it's never too late.

You need to dive into your stakeholders minds and really dig deep.

A couple of things, practical tips that I recommend you do to remedy this.

 

One - go and engage with your stakeholders.

Find time.

Set that time aside to go and connect with them.

 

Two - conduct formal stakeholder interviews.

Learn how to conduct highly effective stakeholder interviews using a script so that you can optimize that with each stakeholder and with each organization.

Use that to collect change management and project insights.

Risks, comms channels, roadblocks.

How are you going to stay engaged? So many more amazing things come out of stakeholder interviews.

 

Three - agree how you are going to stay in touch.

 

The key to ongoing relationships is that they are actually ongoing.

 

Let's not leave anything to chance. You need to go ahead and take ownership of that stakeholder relationship.

But in each of these three practical tips, what you need to do is each step of the way, dive into your stakeholder's mind.

Understand what's going on for them, their team, their space, and their life.

And then use those insights strategically to inform your change approach.

There is no point. No point. I can't stress this enough. There's no point collecting information and insights and data if we're going to do anything with it.

You may as well throw it in the bin and have wasted your stakeholders time, which you will have.

So anytime we collect data, ensure you are going and using that in your change approach, going and raising that risk, changing the comms channels, right?

Going and adapting based on that, and then you will see success.

✨ Struggling with change manager things? Explaining the WHY and knowing what change activities should happen end-to-end?

Our End-to-End Change Framework is here to help! For change practitioners, change leaders and delivery teams. Click here to watch our educational video and download your FREE copy new! ✨