What are the best ways to influence stakeholders during a change process?

Considering stakeholders as other humans is super important. Being inclusive and respecting neuro diversity such as ADHD in stakeholders are critical since not all disabilities are visible! Alternative methods to contact them and approach them in a better way they like is equally important. E.g: One of my stakeholders is 70% visually impaired hence he recommends a chat with slowly pronounced words help him understand the narration better when comparing to digital messages in which he need support in reading them and there is a delay involved due to assistive technologies. Moral of the story: Be inclusive and identify the right method of communication for stakeholders.

It can be helpful to prioritize stakeholders so you know where best to put your time and energy but nobody likes to feel like an afterthought. Be intentional and empathetic!

When considering an organizational change, we want to ensure all stakeholders have input and consideration. Forcing change via swift action may seen efficient at the onset, but failure to engage all affected team members in the process from the beginning can lead to catastrophic results. As someone with little patience, Im tempted to move the ball fast. I often need to tap the brakes and make sure team engagement is significant before pressing on. Even a highly critical stakeholder could overcome their specific objections to the change if they are a part of the conversation and a much more likley to "buy in" if fully engaged in the process.

Every executive prioritizes "innovation and change." However, to identify stakeholders, consider the impact of the change. Is it an incremental change to existing business operations expected to make some impact within a fiscal year? Or is it a transformative/disruptive change, for example, to capture a new wave to stay competitive/enter new markets that will make a significant impact in the next 2-5 years? Stakeholder needs, expectations, and motivations are very different for each and require different communication and engagement strategies.

Different stakeholders need different types of communication. Consider what the best and most effective medium will be as well as who the best messenger might be. A personalized recorded video from your executive director will feel different from a tweet from your company page.

During times of change, there’s no such thing as over communicating The communication needs to include resources to support change challenged individuals as well as reiteration of the new direction.

"What's in it for me?" All communications should answer this vital Q for the audience. This makes it easier for the message to resonate more easily and convert stakeholders to idea champions and evangelists for your initiative.

A common mistake is the different information in each channel misleading stakeholders when reviewed by different media sources. If there is a strategy and vision to follow, representation of such values should be consistent across banners, newsletters, videos with identical facts. This is called 'telling the same story which has been told'

The earlier in the process we involve stakeholders, the deeper the buy in. Asking for input into the planning and creation typically assures loyalty and advocacy through the process. This is called the IKEA affect; when one puts a high value into something they were involved in creating. Such a democratic process leads to much smoother and easier change.

Folks deserve to be a part of the creation if they will be expected to champion the final product! We all want to see the efforts of our labor succeed. It is either to root for something that we had a hand in building.

If your key stakeholders don’t support the change, it will be nearly impossible to implement successfully. Getting their buy in is key. The best way to gain the support of stakeholders is to consult with them early, often and consistently. Get their opinions, listen to their concerns, and implement their suggestions where practical. When people feel heard in the process rather than feeling dictated to, they will give you their support and loyalty.

Involve stakeholders early and in one on one meetings learn their motivators and challenges to be able to address on time. Skipping this step can affect the semuccess of your message and leave a stakeholder that is unable to agree and communicate the benefits of this change to their organization.

Building trust and rapport with stakeholders at all levels is critical, and it's just not communicating formally in the meetings but touching the right chord both personally and professionally beyond office job to infuse trust in the system which also means to accepting each others' strengths and capitalise on them to synergise and sing in symphony

Although these are not numbered, my work has led me to begin building rapport and trust as soon as I've identified my stakeholders. I can communicate clearly, etc., but if I haven't taken the time to establish the relationship, the communication may not be a) understood or b)valued.

I've learned that by being open and completely honest (for example, "yes, parts of this are going to be hard - and I'm asking for your help to get us to where we need to be") that stakeholders are more open to the change - if they understand WHY it's happening. I think this also opens the door to bring them on as co-owners in the change, rather than victims of the change. I think that good leaders understand that they won't see all the nuances and details that their subordinates will, and being open to input goes a long way in paving the way for change.

When it comes to building trust, the importance of leading by example cannot be understated. If you don't practice what you preach, your words will ring hollow. The very best leaders walk the walk and model behavior others will want to emulate.

I find trust is an essential element in being an effective influencer. Building trust takes time and the speed at which business moves is always increasing. This means you need to invest in relationships and in building trust long before you need to influence. If you start only when you have a project, you may not have the time to do the ground work. Identify key people in your internal network and invest the time in getting to know them and to understand the challenges they have. Do your homework, and bring them value in every interaction. This will make influencing them in the future much easier.

Understanding the emotional experience of disruption or change is important for anticipating the needs of your stakeholders. When we start something new, it can feel slow and like the change is imperceptible. This can be discouraging. As a leader, we need to recognize, call out, and celebrate the small achievements so that the team feels success rather than stagnation.

Being able to listen and demonstrate empathy is really critical to managing resistance and objections. It's not just important that you show that you are coming up with a solution, but also that you hear what they're concerns are, when necessary, that you're comfortable with making adjustments, and that ultimately, you are there to address and support them as they navigate through the change

When you inspire your stakeholders they will become engaged. Your goal is to move them from engaged to champion. Championing a process will sparkle innovation and strategic collaboration that often exceeds results. #LeadLoudly #leadership #focus #success

Walking the talk is so important. Be the change you want to see. And find centers of influence you can bring on the journey. Knowing that if they’re motivated to action they in turn influence pockets of employees across the organization. With a little planning this is a highly effective way to drive momentum quickly and sustainably.