How do you handle stakeholder resistance or opposition to your strategic decisions or actions?

Push back or resistance from stakeholders is expected especially in the corporate world as every individual or team have different definitions of what they deem priority and have their unique ways of working. In my experience, it is critical to understand concerns, while communicating overall goal, benefits and timeline. Always use a collaborative approach to find common ground and adjust where needed. Building relationships and aligning with change agents or early adaptors can also add in getting more buy-in and I will also not underestimate the use of data in driving and ensuring a positive impact of the proposal you are putting forward.

To be honest this usually is a result of the attitude of the person championing the strategic decisions. How the person packages it to the stakeholders determines how it's received for implementation. People rarely like someone coming in on them making it seem like whatever was in place is useless and ineffective. There's always a need to actively listen to concerns being raised, communicating clearly, and addressing all underlying motivations of stakeholders. All the way engaging an open dialogue, providing transparent information, and demonstrating benefits of your strategic decisions. Seek a common ground, compromising when necessary, and giving room in decision-making processes to foster a sense of ownership and collaboration.

As an advocate in the private sector, it is paramount to conduct yourself with the highest degree of integrity throughout stakeholder engagement. I’ve witnessed organizations and individuals behave superficially, at best, or disrespectfully, at worst. We are all part of the same ecosystem. We are colleagues. There isn’t necessarily a playbook. Receiving advice from, e.g., a privacy or civil rights perspective, should be considered a privilege. So too should sharing a private sector POV with other stakeholders. There is no science here, just be honest and open to learn and receive new perspectives. The “us v. them” approach will be counterproductive.

Rather than waiting for the resistance to show-up before you try mitigating the risk, get these stakeholders involved in the development of these strategic decisions and actions. This helps creates a sense of inclusion and ownership. As it is said "People will protect what they help create". In case of resistance arising when initial mitigation methods were implemented prior to that, consider the following; 1) Prepare a detailed cost-benefit analysis to help stakeholders understand the reason for your decision and its benefits and associated cost. 2) Ensure clear and transparent communication to stakeholders 3) Be open to feedback and input. The resistance might arise due to identification of a gap in your decision.

Stakeholder mapping is essential to start a project -- as often times the individuals or functions not regularly included can derail the effort if not effectively included. I also like building a stakeholder communication management map -- so that everyone can see what information is needed when and what decisions will not require everyone's involvement.

Keep in mind that most "resistance" isn't actual resistance, by asking yourself the following 5 questions: 1. Is it resistance? (or is it lack of clarity about what is expected from people) 2. Is it a bad thing? (or is it a sign of commitment showing that people care) 3. Are they unreasonable? (or do they actually have a point that you can learn from) 4. Are they to blame? (or are you the main cause of the fact that they resist) 5. Does it need to go now? (or does it simply take time for people to get used to something new)

In my experience one has to make them understand the purpose of the initiative, what are the pitfalls of not implementing the same, what’s in it for them and lastly ask for their point of view on ‘ if not this then what’

In my experience, the challenge arises when diverse views intersect. The resistance often stems from differing interests and perspectives. In addressing this, recognizing and valuing diverse viewpoints of stakeholders is pivotal. It’s important to ensure transparency in communication, team understanding, and alignment of strategic decisions with a spectrum of expectations. Embracing and integrating diverse perspectives not only strengthens decision-making but also enriches the strategic process, creating a more resilient and inclusive path toward achieving goals.

Identifying the decision maker is a critical step in creating an effective influence plan. It involves reading the room and understanding the unspoken power dynamics at play. Who makes the final call? Who are the key stakeholders that often weigh in on decisions? Getting clear on these dynamics will help you identify the right allies and know who you need to convince to achieve your goals.

In my experience, by the time strategies are rolled out to stakeholders, those in charge of the implementation have been working on that strategy for weeks or months. They are often ready to run with the strategy and are moving at a much faster pace than the stakeholders are ready for. The following steps can be very helpful: 1. Slow down - moving too fast can be overwhelming 2. Explain why this strategy is needed and the expected outcomes 3. Ask questions of the stakeholders to ensure a mutual understanding 4. Seek feedback from the stakeholders as the strategy is implemented in order to make course corrections early

Make sure they understand the benefits of your strategic decisions—whether it’s driving growth, improving efficiency, or solving a critical problem. Show how your actions align with their interests and the overall goals of the organization. By framing your decision in terms of value and long-term impact, you can help stakeholders see the bigger picture and reduce their concerns, making them more likely to get on board.

Once you've mapped your stakeholders, invest time in understanding how key stakeholders communicate. It doesn't matter how good your strategic work is, if you communicate it in a way which doesn't resonate. Some individuals need long-form documents and detail. Some need to see big picture and ambition. Some need actionable and tangible steps. It's likely you'll need to use many different forms of communication to effectively engage with a wide and diverse group of individuals. Be warned though - this doesn't mean you should change your proposition for each audience - keep the central message clear and consistent, just change how you explain why it's the right thing to do.

When articulating your value proposition it's important to ditch the jargon and use language that your stakeholders will understand and will resonate with. This may mean you need to adapt your message depending on the stakeholder group.

Ensuring that stakeholders are a part of the process is critical to creating ownership of the strategy. It does not always have to be in developing the strategy. Ownership of implementation is also important. That may mean pulling together those responsible for implementation first to get their buy-in, feedback and suggestions for how to communicate the strategy.

Involving key stakeholders in the process is fundamental. Much like leading a child, they need to be a part of the transformation journey, as opposed to mere "observers". Leading stakeholders through the change, making them fully understand why that change is needed and how it will benefit the business, its people and its customers, will positively impact the outcomes and indeed will create trust, thus making it easier to achieve the change.

It is imperative that you involve the most influential stakeholders in the strategic decision making process. The higher their resistance is the more they need to be involved. Keep open-mind and be flexible along the way to ensure best outcome of the strategic actions. Often it is the combined strategic thinking that produces significant impact.

I might be focusing too much on one word, but it’s important: avoid calling them 'your' strategic decisions or actions. This is key for anyone in strategic projects, especially consultants. While your involvement and sense of ownership are crucial, remember these decisions aren’t just yours. From the start, involve all stakeholders affected by the change —include informal decision-makers too. Decisions made together are more likely to succeed. But remember, strategic change isn’t a democracy. Leading change means knowing when to listen and incorporate feedback and when to move forward decisively. Focus on successful adoption, not on taking credit. Put your ego aside—success is about effective change, not whose idea it was.

Regardless of the project type, involving stakeholders in the strategic process is essential to the project's success. Implement an engagement plan that outlines your objectives, methods, and desired outcomes for engagement. Seek input, feedback, and buy-in from your stakeholders at different stages of the project, from planning to implementation and evaluation. Create opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and co-creation with stakeholders, such as workshops, focus groups, or surveys. This approach leverages their expertise, insights, and support, increasing their ownership and commitment.

To navigate stakeholder resistance effectively, a comprehensive approach is required. It begins with expectations clarity, by defining deliverables and success metrics, like specific timelines for a product launch. Open communication is also pivotal. Keep stakeholders informed with updates on achievements and challenges, fostering transparency. Lastly, embrace a learning culture by celebrating successes, learn from failures, and apply insights to future strategies. Maintain adaptability to evolving circumstances, ensuring your strategic decisions align with stakeholder expectations.

When training salespeople and business development executives, it's important to emphasize the significance of understanding your client and their company's critical needs. You can only deliver what you have comprehended, so make sure to have a strong and thorough understanding of all pertinent information before presenting, and then devise a strategy for delivering. When a deal makes sense, your key stakeholders and decision-makers will ask "Why wouldn't we do this?" rather than "Why would they do this?"

Managing expectations is more complicated and challenging than creating the plans, however if the plan is communicated well, aligned with stakeholders interests and suggests clear outcomes in the favour of the organisation & society, it gives an extra nudge for continuing delivering the outcomes.

My approach involves crafting a detailed Stakeholder Expectation Management Plan to align deliverables with strategic goals. I maintain regular, transparent communication to keep stakeholders engaged and informed. Celebrating successes and learning from failures humanizes the process. Flexibility is crucial; I adapt to changing needs and feedback. This balance of technical planning, clear communication, and adaptability is key to navigating resistance.

Set realistic goals, communicate challenges and risks transparently, provide timely updates, manage timelines and deadlines, clarify roles and responsibilities, offer assurance and support, and establish the right communication channels. When stakeholders are ensured, what they could expect, trust, alignment, and collaboration will be built in the decision-making process. This fosters a positive relationship with your stakeholders and increases the likelihood of successful implementation and achievement of organizational objectives.

Conflicts arise from not understanding each other's needs. Stakeholder inclusion or consultation is still approached by many leaders with the golden rule of ethics: treat others like you want to be treated. But in today's world of relational leadership, leaders need to shift to a new maxim: "treat others like they want to be treated". Hence asking questions with curiosity to understand and learn. If leaders approach stakeholders with a genuine curiosity and open mindset to listen, hear, and learn they will understand needs better and be able to co-creator win win solutions.

An Excerpt of one of my posts: (Sorry Character limit) 6. **Address conflicts as soon as they arise:** It's important to identify conflicts early on before they escalate. Look for signs such as tension, disagreements, or misunderstandings. 7. ?? **Be direct but value their opinion and respect them:** When addressing conflicts, it's important to be direct and honest. However, it's also important to value the other person's opinion and respect them. 9. ?? **Don't personalize, focus on behavior and outcomes:** When addressing conflicts, it's important to focus on the behavior and outcomes rather than personalizing the situation.

It was said above. Understand concerns and reservations. Leverage institutional knowledge; add your innovation; then recalibrate.

The best way to resolve conflict and overcome issues is to first manage what we can control—self. Revisit the agreed-upon goals/outcomes and keep them as your focus. This will help you reset emotionally so you can remain objective. Once you have achieved equanimity, you’re in a better position to guide the process in a positive direction to get things back on track. The more you engage in “resetting” in this manner, the easier it gets. It also demonstrates your ability to lead team members through tough situations. Restoring balance and refocusing a team is the type of leadership that can impact professional trajectory.

Resolving conflicts with stakeholders is vital to your strategy’s success. Develop a conflict resolution plan outlining your approach, criteria, and ways to resolve disputes. Maintain a constructive, respectful attitude and avoid blame. Focus on finding common ground and win-win solutions. Escalate serious or unresolved issues to the appropriate stakeholder or mediator. This approach has ensured a collaborative, transparent, and trusting environment and kept the strategic process on track.

In my experience, I try to get to the root cause and the larger context of why someone may be resisting. We are after all dealing with humans and most of the time we can’t distinguish between the objective and subjective and sometimes emotional. Getting to the root cause could be understanding their role, success measures, aspirations and barriers (real or perceived) to their success. Once we understand root cause and impact it becomes easier to address the resistance in a relevant manner through all the approaches - transparent communication, involving in the solution creation etc

Creo que se podria tambien incorporar el análisis de materialidad ESG para identificar los temas ambientales, sociales y de gobernanza más relevantes para sus partes interesadas. Asegúrese de que sus decisiones estratégicas aborden estas prioridades y demuestren el compromiso de la empresa con la sostenibilidad y la responsabilidad corporativa

Handling stakeholder resistance requires a delicate balance of empathy and strategic action. Start by demonstrating empathy, understanding stakeholder concerns and perspectives. This approach builds trust and shows that you value their input, which is crucial for managing resistance.

I think diversity and inclusion is also very important here. Executives have to leverage their knowledge and skills on that. These days we are transforming ourselves or things so develop a comprehensive change management plan that outlines how the organization will navigate the transition. Once you are done, clearly communicate the plan, including timelines, milestones, and the expected impact on stakeholders. In desert you can not sell dessert. Provide right solutions in right place and time.

Otro punto a revisar que me ha funcionado es crear oportunidades de colaboración he invitando a las partes interesadas a participar en el proceso de toma de decisiones estratégicas y esto ofrece oportunidades para colaborar en la formulación de soluciones. La colaboración puede ayudar a aumentar el sentido de propiedad y compromiso de las partes interesadas con las decisiones tomadas