What do you do if your promotion chances depend on building strong relationships with stakeholders?

To enhance promotion chances dependent on stakeholder relationships, focus on active listening, understanding their needs and delivering results aligned with their goals. Cultivate trust through transparency, consistent communication and demonstrating value-added contributions. Building rapport through empathy and collaboration fosters stronger partnerships. Embrace feedback to continuously improve interactions. ??????

I believe it is extremely critical to identify the stakeholders who can and will influence the chances of your promotion. The stakeholders can be client and you better your chances by aligning to their vision and goal(in the contractual boundaries) and delivering results successfully. Other stakeholders will be within your organisation. As we climb up the ladder leadership skills, coaching and mentoring skills, going above and beyond delivery responsibilities, how we handled difficult situations, helped others etc become important and with right stakeholders you can know where to pitch in. While delivery still remains the key, networking brings in visibility, right guidance and also more support for your case.

A clear understanding of the corporation's goals and engaging stakeholders in a shared vision. Create your strategy around the key pillars and communicate.

Build professional relationships to deliver performance results. In assessing performance, assessors seek delivery on the jobs.

Tried and tested ways: - Ask what their objectives are - Align on program objectives - Ask open ended questions to uncover current state and challenges - Ask if there any constraints which are in their control to resolve. Check if you can support - Ask if there any constraints which are not in their control eg regulatory, competitors, macro environment - Summarise requirements in 2-3 sentences - Communicate key requirements, and actions via email to ensure alignment.

Understanding stakeholders' needs entails active listening, empathy, and discernment. It involves deciphering their goals, challenges, and expectations. By engaging in open dialogue, gathering feedback, and empathizing with their perspectives, one can tailor solutions that address their concerns effectively, fostering trust and collaboration for mutual success.

Consider always ending the conversation asking your stakeholder what you can take off their plate, or what todo item they keep seeing on the list and remains incomplete. Then listen without trying to solve the problem and let them talk until they are done. More than likely they will give more context to the problem, and share their own personal struggles with whatever is the hurdle of the moment. Being someone who they can trust will listen to them more than likely will lead you them calling you up to ask for your help.

Don't limit yourself with your job description. If you want to build a good working relationship with stakeholders, you should be ready and knowledgeable to help them with their tasks and issues that relates to your area of expertise.

Understand the needs of your stakeholders and follow your communication plan. Have individual conversations and provide good (not too much) information about your topic. once you have briefed your stakeholders build alliances, which are supporting your goal.

Communication plan should have following aspects: - consistency eg regular status update weekly meetings at the same day/time of the week. - transparency - reporting good and bad aspects of the program in clear language both oral and writing. - collaborative: create the plan together with the customer. Align of modes of communication, tools and regularity

Covey said it best "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Communication has been the cornerstone of growth for me in my career. You may not hit results or timelines all the time but being open and setting expectations through proper communication will almost always see you through it with a positive relationship.

One thing I’ve found helpful is to provide a slow-drip of communication. It’s a constant flow of updates, challenges and resolutions so that stakeholders are consistently and routinely kept in the loop. Providing a slow drip of information helps to build trust and credibility, avoids surprises, and helps to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. The slow drip works the other way as well by allowing stakeholders to ask questions and provide feedback on the team’s progress. Better to be accused of pestering people with too much information than to be seen as less than forthcoming.

Aprovechar cualquier espacio para la interacción cara a cara en vez de enviar correos o hacer llamadas telefónicas. Puedes contestar un correo mediante una llamada a través de Zoom o Teams que te permita presentarte y tener un contacto más cercano con la persona. Ve todas las posibilidades de interacción posible para generar vínculos y confianza. Si una visita viene del extranjero y eres invitado a cenar (lo cual es común) procura sentarte cerca para interactuar.

Delivering results involves setting clear objectives, developing effective strategies, and executing with precision. It requires leveraging resources efficiently, adapting to changing circumstances, and overcoming obstacles with resilience. Communicating progress transparently and proactively managing expectations are key components. Consistently meeting or exceeding targets demonstrates accountability and fosters trust. Embracing innovation and continuous improvement ensures sustained success. Celebrating achievements while learning from setbacks cultivates a culture of growth and excellence. Ultimately, delivering results is about driving tangible outcomes that positively impact the organization's goals and stakeholders' satisfaction.

In my experience, Manage Expectations by clearly communicating project status, challenges, and progress. It's okay to share problems in delivery, transparency fosters understanding. Hiding mistakes breaks trust and ruins positive relationship building.

-> You need to demonstrate competence through successful delivery of results as it is pivotal in establishing your credibility and effectiveness within the organization. Consistently achieving goals showcases your proficiency, expertise, and dedication, which will reinforce the trust stakeholders have in your capabilities. -> Furthermore, your track record of delivering tangible outcomes creates advocates who champion your professional growth and advancement. Stakeholders who have benefited from your contributions are likely to endorse your capabilities, amplifying your reputation and influence within the organization.

As someone has said, “Nothing succeed more than success itself”. In every organisation, success does matter a lot for its survival, growth and expansion. When you deliver projects effectively, everyone in organisations will appreciate your efforts including the management and tour stakeholders. Focus should be always on creating value for customer, enhancing knowledge of the team members and delivering project well on time and within budget. Every organisation love this, no matter how small or big they are. Do keep in mind to put team ahead of yourself and appreciate their efforts when stakeholders and management team loud your success as Program Manager.

When it comes to delivering results, I use the SMART goals approach that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You can’t go wrong. This is a tried and true approach that not only increases the likelihood of success but it demonstrates your commitment to achieving your desired outcomes.

You have to build your own case, and show WHAT value you have added and HOW you plan to achieve bigger goals next year. You have to make it easy for your manager to justify the promotion to their seniors and other decision makers. So, the question is, what exactly is YOUR value? How do YOU articulate it? In simple words: your value is a sum total of WHAT you have achieved in the past year + HOW you will help the company grow in the next year. Important steps to not be missed: 1. Highlight your readiness and potential for the (new) role. 2. Write all of it down. 3. Whether it's an email you want to send out or a f2f conversation; go in well prepared. 4. Most importantly: believe in yourself. If you don't, nobody will ;)

Providing value means offering solutions, insights, or benefits that address a need or enhance an experience. It involves understanding customer or stakeholder needs, delivering quality products or services, and exceeding expectations. Value creation builds trust, fosters loyalty, and drives long-term success in any endeavor.

This is the most important one. Adding values to stakeholders’ aspirations are always beneficial, which in turn helps in getting their confidence. However maintaining values for long duration is a real challenge.

Communicate, communicate, communicate! Find your cadence of communication. For some stakeholders embedded in your project, this might be once a week. For others, it might be quarterly. Think strategically about communicating your value add.

In addition to think about what skills and knowledge you have to bring value, it is critical to think about what the company, your function, your team need. For example, identify areas that are pain points while no one has figured out how to address those, it’s a great opportunity for you to add value.

In my experience, seeking intentional feedback at strategic times is another way to build the relationships you need to center your professional reputation and character in trust, action, dependability, and resiliency. What senior leader doesn't flock to a junior leader that is willing to learn and very specifically seek them out to learn from?

Feel empowered to flag when you have action on feedback. It signals to your stakeholders that you listened and learned from them. It also enforces that you are coachable and proactive.

Seeking feedback is the best way to ensure your stakeholders feel seen and included, and their opinions and suggestions are considered and respected. Great projects are a direct result of stakeholder input and buy-in.

Ok. When I read this question, I immediately thought about “A Few Good Men” (1992) with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, “I want the truth, you can’t handle the truth!” Yes, you can because constructive criticism provides valuable insights that can and will help you refine your approach, identify blind spots, and avoid potential pitfalls. I realize feedback can be both positive and negative but receiving it gives you a chance for growth, continued success and advancement if you act on it appropriately.

There are sometimes present jealous or insecure on the present leadership. Don’t let the jealousy of others distract you from your goals. Keep your focus on what you want to achieve and continue working hard. Remember that success often attracts envy, but it’s essential to rise.

Before you do any of the above, set a clear GOAL. In fact multiple goals might be needed: what type of position do you want to have next? What type of impact does a person in that position make? Who does a person in that position need to impact most? And, how? Once you’ve answered these questions you’ll know which stakeholders to engage and what results need to be delivered in what ways to get where you desire to be.

Stakeholders like proactivity and trustworthiness. Remain proactive, do not over promise and most importantly, deliver on your promises or communicate clearly and honestly

In addition to that, I build strong case studies and success stories featuring stakeholders’ testimonies on impacts and multiplying effects of our interventions. In our stabilization work, conducting ex ante and ex post perception surveys from stakeholders’ perspectives show case the changes that occurs in their lives as a result of our programmes.

Depending on strong stakeholder relationships highlights the need to build the relationships year round, not just when you need support. Cultivate peers, leaders and team members in other organizations to be part of your stakeholder ecosystem.

I see Program Management as a way to provide a holistic service to the company. With this thought, when I have truthful, honest conversations. When I say yes to their items, they know why. If I have to say no, they also understand why. I have clear criteria and show where each project or service is placed on the list.