What do you do if your relationships with stakeholders as an engineering manager are strained?

When dealing with strained relationships, it is critical to take proactive actions to restore trust and rapport. Investing time in personal contacts outside of project conversations can pay off by creating a collaborative environment and increasing the overall efficacy of your job. By adopting a positive and solution-oriented mindset, you may overcome these obstacles and strengthen the bonds required for effective project delivery. Remember that engineering involves more than simply technical competence; it also requires great communication and interpersonal skills.

As an engineering manager faced with strained relationships with stakeholders, the initial step entails identifying the root cause of the situation. Concurrently, initiating an open conversation with stakeholders is paramount. During this dialogue, it's crucial to assure stakeholders that the problem is being actively identified and will be resolved. Subsequently, dividing the outcomes into manageable parts allows stakeholders to observe progress along the way. Throughout this process, seeking feedback at every individual step ensures that the work is aligning positively with stakeholder requirements and expectations.

Listening is an important skill. So often I've seen people who are just waiting for their turn to talk. Listen and contribute. A simple framework to be a better listener: Don't think "I've got to say what I got to say!". Instead go for "I'm so curious about what this person is going to say and about how I can help them"

Developing strong relationships with stakeholders is a vital aspect of being an effective engineering manager. It is important to bring your team along on this journey to facilitate open communication and smooth work processes. While it is natural for relationships to sometimes become strained, it is imperative to focus on repairing and reconciling them quickly. This requires a personal touch and can be achieved through informal meetups like coffee breaks or joint lunches. By fostering a sense of cohesiveness, you can encourage your stakeholders to be more supportive and understanding, which can be invaluable during critical situations.

I like to open up about interesting things going on in my life. I get really energetic when I talk about these things, and I've found that this energy is infectious and can get the other person to open up about themselves as well. This applies not just to the workplace :)

Open and clear communication is very important to minimize stressful situations. Be an active listener. Understand the situation from the other person’s perspective. Keep the stakeholders informed and updated regularly. Seek regular feedbacks on your performance and also any areas of concern the stakeholders may want to highlight. Be polite but firm to put up your point wherever you feel, they are not being reasonable.