Balancing Execution and Relationships
Building Sustainable Success Through Stakeholder Relationships (Part 1)
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Many of the leaders I work with are known for their ability to get things done. In fact, that's often their hallmark - creating an environment where they and their team can focus on execution.
This knack for driving results has been a big part of their success - because every business needs people who can achieve goals swiftly and efficiently.
However, it's not uncommon - in fact, it's quite typical - for my clients to receive 360-degree feedback suggesting that one area they would benefit from investing in is how they build relationships with their peers and stakeholders.
This isn't about building deep friendships, but about creating strategic, collaborative working across the organisation.
The challenge is that leaders I work with often excel when they're taking the lead. They've usually got a clear, well-thought-out vision of what needs doing and know how to enable their teams to get on with it. They prioritise tasks that matter, and have conversations when needed, bringing key stakeholders into the discussion at the appropriate times.
But because these leaders value purposeful conversations and dislike wasting their own and others time, a pattern emerges where stakeholder engagement happens only when it's deemed through their eyes to be truly necessary. And feedback often reveals these stakeholders would have preferred to be engaged earlier, to feel more aligned with the goals of the work and also critically to help them plan their capacity.
Take Mario, for example. He recently navigated a tricky regulatory issue that needed input from across his organisation. The outcome was thankfully - yet unexpectedly - successful, thanks largely to Mario's drive and persistence. Mario has good relationships with his stakeholders and is seen as warm and credible. However, his focus on outcomes often means stakeholders are brought in only when he perceived they needed to be. While Mario believes this approach is efficient, when reflecting on his learnings from the experience, he shared a suspicion that his stakeholders may have appreciated being involved earlier.
Mario knows the theory of stakeholder management and understands its importance for building relationships that facilitate long-term success. Yet, when he's focused on execution, he struggles to see stakeholder engagement as essential rather than a nice-to-do task. He knows that on a bad day, this approach can come across as a lack of concern for others, which is not his intention. When push comes to shove, getting the job done takes priority over building relationships.
He's not alone. Many leaders fear not delivering on their ambition, believing that ‘delivering’ is what ultimately matters.
However, leaders who find a good balance between execution with relationship-building not only enhance organisational and peer engagement but also set the stage for long-term benefits. And they actually make it easier to get things done by having the foundational relationships and pre- buy-in they need.
Aligning all stakeholders with your goals and securing buy-in from everyone involved is crucial, both from a task and an emotional perspective. In fact, failing to achieve a goal often stems more from a lack of alignment than from a lack of effort.
The balancing act between delivery and relationship management is critical but for many leaders, like Mario, it doesn’t come naturally. And it requires a shift in mindset to see relationship management as being a fundamental component of his efforts to execute.
Because stakeholder alignment isn't a box to tick off a to-do list; it's an ongoing process requiring an investment of time and energy.
But building strong relationships and fostering open communication channels can lead to more sustainable success. It reduces friction, increases collaboration, and creates a more cohesive organisational environment. All of which make it easier to get things done. And actually do them better, together.
To help you reflect on your strengths - and areas that you can enhance even more - in terms of building strategic relationships, below are eight deep reflection questions to consider.
Let’s take a look.
Eight Questions for More Strategic Stakeholder Relationships:
The objective of these questions is to help you reflect on your approach to stakeholder relationships and identify areas for growth. And help you create the headspace to think about what you really need to invest in to keep developing as a leader.
How do you currently prioritise building long term relationships compared to focussing on execution?
What would your peers and stakeholders say if asked the same?
Where would they rate your relationship on a scale of 1-10?
What would a 10 out of 10 be like - from both your and their perspective?
Where could additional feedback help you build more in depth insight on your strengths and growth opportunities when it comes to relationship building?
How has your approach to stakeholder management impacted your team’s performance and collaboration?
What long-term benefits could be possible by investing even further in improving your stakeholder relationships?
What one thing could you do today to make your peer relationships even better?
Know another leader who wants to learn and grow? This post, like all Spark pieces, are publicly available so feel free to share it.
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