By Felicia Knight
“Stakeholder” is a word that sounds like jargon—because it is. That shouldn’t diminish its value, however. We’ve talked about stakeholder engagement before and about why it’s important so now, let’s talk about how to go about it.
Herding stakeholders can often have all the precision of a drill team from the Ministry of Silly Walks. That’s because stakeholder objectives don’t always align. When they don’t, you need to call upon the combined skills of a middle school hall monitor and an international diplomat—especially if you’re in the public policy arena.
You may find yourself dealing with municipal, state, federal, and possibly international interests. There are multiple facets to public policy, many interests—some legitimate, some frivolous—that need to be addressed. There can be myriad egos in the mix, and often—if money is involved—more than one source of funding.
Public policy involving everything from refugee resettlement to global climate change, from Medicare reimbursements to federal funding of special education requires a stakeholder engagement strategy.
It’s not rocket science, but it’s not home ec either. The degree of difficulty depends on who’s in the room. If you have a lot of stuffed shirts intent on seeing their names on a plaque, your job is a little harder than if the players include people willing to share credit and be creative for the good of the cause.
A solid stakeholder engagement strategy requires big picture thinking, not to mention patience, an ability to listen, and a desire to allow everyone to shine.
A few tips:
Establish a protocol for decision-making (there must be a final authority)
Find the common ground (sometimes it’s buried, but there’s always common ground)
Determine what is needed versus what is wanted (in other words, “what can you live without?”)
Be honest and earnest in your pitch to stakeholders (why is it in their and everyone else’s best interest that they participate?)
Try to incorporate at least one idea or suggestion from each participant (there’s value in validation)
Communicate regularly (every relationship needs attention)
Don’t take anyone’s support for granted (and don’t play favorites)
Don’t lose your sense of humor (even if others have none, don’t lose yours)
There are many ways to engage and retain the productive involvement of stakeholders—and there are just as many ways to lose them. The best first step is simply to treat people the way you want to be treated. (That usually works in any situation.)