Over the years when implementing change across a range of industries, and different types of change, a realisation hit me while there were cultural differences within organisations, that was also true of stakeholders. A framework is a framework however how you apply it with a flexible mindset and how adaptable you are to your approach will determine your success. And that included adapting to stakeholders, their needs and their 'ways of working'. 

So, how do you master the art of stakeholder management without losing your mind, your momentum, or your mission? Here are some practical ideas to help you approach your stakeholder management in a more effective way.

Stakeholders may not be the issue but your approach might be

The first thing I consider when I am starting to become frustrated with a stakeholder is what can I do differently which may create a different response? Stakeholders come with agendas, priorities, and personalities, just like you. And sometimes stakeholders may ...

Effective stakeholder management is critical for success of any initiative and smooth delivery of any project. The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter what your end product is if you are 'burning' your stakeholders through lack of involvement or shutting them out. Every time you are delivering something new into your organisation or you are running a project, effective stakeholder management is a MUST!

Here are the three fail-safe strategies to put into place when working on projects or working with teams across an organisation to deliver an outcome:

1) Take the time to make sure you are involving the right people. This may sound silly but if you haven't taken the time to note down exactly who you consider your stakeholders to be, you need to put a pen to paper or finger to your keyboard right now and get to it.

Why? Often we forget who we need to involve or who need to know about your initiative. This results in complaints or 'white-anting' your initiative.  Listing out who sh...