You're juggling demands from senior stakeholders. How do you decide whose request takes precedence?

2 Strategic Value

Next, evaluate the strategic value of each request. Some demands may not have immediate impact but are crucial for long-term success. These could involve developing new capabilities, entering new markets, or building relationships that will be valuable down the line. It's important to balance short-term wins with long-term strategy, and sometimes, prioritizing a request with significant future benefits is the right move, even if it doesn't offer an instant payoff.

3 Resource Availability

An essential factor in prioritizing requests is the availability of resources. You need to assess whether the necessary time, budget, and personnel are available to fulfill the stakeholder's demand. If resources are scarce, you might have to prioritize requests that can be accomplished with the current resource allocation. It's crucial to be realistic about what can be achieved and to communicate any limitations to stakeholders to manage their expectations.

4 Communication Skills

Effective communication is key in managing stakeholder expectations. Once you've evaluated the impact, strategic value, and resource availability, you must communicate your decisions clearly and confidently. Explain your rationale for prioritizing certain requests over others, and be prepared to offer alternative solutions or timelines for lower-priority demands. This transparency helps build trust and understanding among stakeholders, even when their request is not the first in line.

5 Negotiation Tactics

Sometimes, you may need to negotiate with stakeholders to reach a compromise. If multiple requests are equally important, discuss the possibility of merging projects or finding a middle ground that satisfies the most critical elements of each demand. Negotiation is an art that requires empathy and a firm understanding of each stakeholder's motivations. By finding common ground, you can often devise a plan that advances multiple agendas simultaneously.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?