Stakeholder Management in Community Initiatives

Stakeholder Engagement Map for Sustainability 🌎 Sustainability advances when companies move from speaking to stakeholders toward building solutions with them. Engagement becomes powerful when it shifts from information-sharing to participation and co-creation. Employees are not passive recipients of corporate policies. When positioned as innovators and ambassadors, they can drive cultural change that scales faster than top-down initiatives. Investors increasingly evaluate not only financial returns but also resilience and impact. Open dialogue and credible disclosures create the foundation for financing models that reward long-term value creation. Regulators and policymakers shape the boundaries of what is possible. Proactive collaboration ensures that emerging rules both protect society and enable business innovation. NGOs and civil society connect business with pressing social and environmental realities. Partnerships with them help translate global challenges into concrete, measurable corporate actions. Customers bring more than purchasing power. Through collaboration and product co-design, they accelerate the adoption of sustainable solutions and redefine what markets demand. Suppliers and partners extend responsibility beyond a single enterprise. Joint innovation in sourcing, standards, and technology transforms sustainability into a shared endeavor across the value chain. Communities ground sustainability in place. When businesses co-invest in local development, they secure trust and create ecosystems that benefit both society and the enterprise. Media and opinion leaders influence how actions are perceived. Transparent storytelling backed by evidence strengthens legitimacy and reinforces accountability. Academia and experts contribute the critical lens of science and independent validation. Engaging them ensures that strategies are rooted in knowledge, not convenience. Risk and resilience demand collective approaches. Working groups and cross-sector alliances elevate sustainability from individual commitments to systemic impact. True engagement means entering a space of shared design. It is in these interactions that sustainability moves from compliance to transformation, and from promises to outcomes. #sustainability #business #sustainable #esg

If anyone is interested in developing their skills in Community Engagement, here are a few thoughts, based on my experience that might be helpful. 💬 Here’s how I got started: As a principal of a K-8 school, each year I held informational sessions for parents before school began. I recall being nervous before each session. To ease my anxiety, I prepared extensively reviewing my material countless times. This preparation. Gave me confidence and allowed me to fully engage. Thought #1: Become knowledgeable of and comfortable with the material. Over time, I developed my speaking rhythm and used direct eye contact, facial expressions, and pauses to emphasize a point. I also provided relevant examples to create meaning for those in attendance. Thought #2: Develop your own communication style and remember, speak to the audience not the material. Years later as a COO, I was responsible for facilitating meetings to inform community members of school closings and reopenings under new management. This time, I knew I would face opposition and chose to address the fear and hurt in the room. Even when I suspected the information would be met with frustration, I did not waiver or make false promises. I was often thanked for my transparency and for giving community members voice. Thought #3: Be truthful even during the most adverse engagement sessions. In my current role, I have apprised a few communities of the phase out plan for their schools and engaged others in the design process for new buildings. These meetings involve all stakeholders: parents, board members, staff, community members, and students. It is often challenging to command the attention of such a diverse audience but I have learned to read the room. If audience members begin looking at their phones or personal devices, I pivot and change the direction of the conversation while maintaining the integrity of the content. Thought #4: Do not be afraid to modify your approach and remember, read the room. Lastly, remember focus on true engagement. The process is more than collecting feedback. It is about ensuring all participants feel heard, valued, and involved in the final decision. #CommunityEngagement #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership

🌱 Regenerative Sustainability, Community-Led Change & Accountability: A Stakeholder-Centered Approach for Project & Change Managers 🌱 How do we move beyond "sustainability" as a buzzword and toward regenerative, community-driven change? How do we ensure that communities most affected by systemic challenges are the ones leading the solutions? Our new training workshop explores three powerful frameworks that empower project and change managers to align stakeholder interests, build accountability, and drive lasting impact: Taiwo Abraham, PhD Candidate, PMP, CFA-ESG, GRI-CSP let’s flesh this out! ✅ Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): Instead of focusing on what a community lacks, ABCD builds from existing strengths—local skills, cultural knowledge, networks, and resilience—to create sustainable, self-driven progress. ✅ Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR): Research shouldn’t just be about communities—it should be with and for them. CBPAR ensures that those most affected by a challenge co-create solutions, driving equitable, data-informed decision-making. ✅ Regenerative Sustainability: Beyond reducing harm, regenerative sustainability restores ecosystems, economies, and social structures. It helps communities escape ecological determinism & fatalism, reclaim agency, and thrive in a changing world. This training is designed to equip project and change managers with the tools to build sustainable, community-driven initiatives that truly work. Here’s what we cover: 📌 Stakeholder Accountability & Strategic Planning – Aligning ABCD & CBPAR with Gerald Gabris' strategic planning model for local governments. 📌 Applying Accountability Frameworks – Using Romzek & Dubnick's accountability matrix to balance legal, professional, bureaucratic, and political responsibilities in regenerative projects. 📌 Case Studies & Global Best Practices – Real-world applications, including: 🌍 Housing First: Using ABCD to empower formerly unhoused individuals to co-design housing solutions. 🌱 Camp Liberty: A CBPAR-driven initiative where veterans restore degraded landscapes while healing PTSD. 📌 Alignment with SDGs & GRI Standards – Making sustainability frameworks actionable, measurable, and relevant to real-world projects. 📌 Meta-Analysis of Emerging Research (2020-2024) – A deep dive into recent findings on regenerative change, stakeholder engagement, and community resilience. Why Does This Matter? Project and change managers are at the forefront of shaping how organizations engage with communities. Whether you're leading a nonprofit initiative, a corporate sustainability effort, or a government program, this training helps you cultivate accountability to stakeholder interests—not just to check a box, but to drive real, regenerative impact. If you're a leader committed to making sustainability truly sustainable, let’s connect. 💡 #RegenerativeSustainability #StakeholderEngagement #ChangeManagement #ProjectManagement #CommunityDevelopment

In the world of consulting for nonprofits, the voices of the communities served can be overshadowed by a disproportionate focus on the opinions of key stakeholders — funders, board members and influential partners. This alignment can sideline the perspectives of the very communities the non-profits aim to help. Consultants also tend to conflate best practices with common or prevalent practices, comparing clients to peer organisations and inadvertently reinforcing status-quo approaches to social purpose work. These unintended consequences are some of the insightful findings in Leah Reisman's book, "How Consultants Shape Nonprofits" (Stanford Social Innovation Review). Over the past decade, the growing number of consultants for nonprofits and NGOs in India has been a positive development, strengthening the sector as a whole. As the industry evolves, it’s useful for all stakeholders to keep these findings in mind while shaping the future of nonprofit consulting. Contrary to the perception that nonprofit consultants simply import business ideas into the social sector, Reisman’s research reveals that nonprofit consultants are driven by their commitment to social impact — something I’ve seen firsthand among nonprofit consultants in India. The book offers valuable strategies for nonprofit consultants and capacity builders to enhance their effectiveness: -- Balance stakeholder expectations while ensuring the communities served remain at the heart of the exercise. -- Bridge the gap between stakeholder visions and ground realities, translating complex needs into actionable strategies. -- Leverage data to align stakeholder goals with community needs, creating a unified approach to success. -- Guide non-profits toward sustainable solutions that benefit the community, even when initial directives are stakeholder-driven. This provides food for thought as the nonprofit consulting sector navigates its next phase of growth. What are your perspectives on this? Do share. #Consulting #NonProfits #Leadership

Struggling to get everyone on board? Some clients complain that they feel like they are hearding cats. I remember leading projects like this and was frustrated until I learned a better way. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieve stakeholder buy-in: 1. Gather Perspectives → Why it works: Provides a complete view of stakeholder positions. ↳ Action: Ask each stakeholder about their understanding of project goals, benefits, and concerns. 2. Identify Misalignments → Why it works: Pinpoints areas needing attention. ↳ Action: List key differences in a shared document, analyzing root causes and impacts. 3. Plan Actions → Why it works: Creates a roadmap for resolution. ↳ Action: Develop specific steps to improve alignment, assigning owners and deadlines. 4. Implement Strategies → Why it works: Addresses concerns systematically. ↳ Action: Adjust project elements as needed and enhance communication to meet stakeholder needs. By following these steps, you'll turn potential roadblocks into a path to project success. — P.S. Unlock 20 years' worth of leadership lessons sent straight to your inbox. Every Wednesday, I share exclusive insights and actionable tips on my newsletter. (Link in my bio to sign up). Remember, leaders succeed together.

If I had to pick ONE skill set that every leader without formal authority must master, it’s this: 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. It’s not just a skill—it’s a competency. Why? Because it’s not singular. It’s a combination of: • Collaboration: Knowing how to bring people together. • Self-awareness: Understanding how your behavior impacts others. • Emotional Intelligence: Reading the room and adjusting accordingly. • Servant Leadership: Focusing on others to amplify collective success. • Communication: Ensuring your message cuts through the noise. Here’s the truth: your impact as a leader without direct authority—whether you’re a project manager, consultant, or tech lead—depends on your level of influence. And your level of influence boils down to three things: 1.  𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How do others view you? 2.  𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Can you deliver consistently? 3.  𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Do people trust you before you even step into the room? But here’s the kicker: influence isn’t automatic. You can’t simply show up and expect buy-in. To win at stakeholder management, you must: 💡 Build trust before you need it. 💡 Map out who holds the power—and what they care about. 💡 Tailor your communication to emphasize shared wins. Remember this: Authority might open the door, but influence gets things done. What’s the #1 lesson YOU’VE learned about managing stakeholders? Let’s swap notes in the comments. 👇🏾