Aligning Leadership Goals with Stakeholder Needs

A common partnership snafu is that companies want partnership success, but don’t provide the resources to get there. I heard of a case where a whole marketing team quit, the partnerships team was given no marketing support, and they didn't yet have an integration with product -- and yet, the CEO expected the partnership strategy to deliver instant revenue. Wild. But not uncommon. Partnerships can't thrive in a vacuum. They need cross-functional support—marketing, product integration, sales enablement—all aligned to succeed. Before you set revenue targets for your partnerships, ask yourself: Do we have the resources to support them? If the answer is no, you have to help your leadership teams to reconsider their expectations. To help create the cross-functional support needed for partnerships to thrive, here are four strategies: 1. Involve Cross-Functional Leaders from the Very Beginning Bring key leaders from marketing, sales, and product into the partnership planning phase. Early involvement gives them a sense of ownership and ensures they understand how partnerships align with their own goals. Strategy: Schedule a kick-off meeting with stakeholders from each relevant department. Create a shared roadmap that outlines how partnerships will impact each team and their specific contributions. 2. Tie Partnership Success to Department KPIs To gain buy-in, tie partnership goals directly to the KPIs of each department. Aligning partnership outcomes with what each team is measured on ensures they have skin in the game. Strategy: During planning sessions, ask each department head how partnerships can contribute to their targets. Build specific KPIs for each function into the overall partnership strategy. 3. Create a Resource Exchange Agreement Formalize the support needed from each department with a resource exchange agreement. This sets clear expectations on what each function will contribute—whether it's a dedicated product team member for integrations or marketing resources for co-branded campaigns. It turns vague promises into commitments. Strategy: Draft a simple document that outlines the roles, responsibilities, and deliverables each team will provide, then get sign-off from department heads and the executive team. 4. Demonstrate Early Wins for Buy-In Quick wins go a long way toward securing ongoing resources. Identify a small pilot project with an internal team that shows immediate impact. Whether it's a small co-marketing campaign or a limited integration, these early successes build momentum and demonstrate the value of supporting partnerships. Strategy: Select one or two partners to run a pilot with, focused on delivering measurable outcomes like leads generated or product adoption. Use this success story to demonstrate value to other departments and secure further commitment. Partnership success requires cross-functional alignment. Because partnerships don’t happen in a silo.

Aligning executive stakeholders with conflicting priorities is a puzzle many product people face. How do you solve it? When stakeholders pull in different directions, the secret isn't in aligning immediately around a product vision. Instead, elevate the conversation: align first on company goals. What outcomes do we aspire to achieve as a company? This unified understanding of company priorities becomes your north star. Here's how you can approach this: 1️⃣ Level Up the Discussion: Before diving into a product vision, ask stakeholders to agree on broader company goals. What did your CEO emphasize as priorities for your business? This context is crucial. It sets the stage for aligning individual goals to the bigger picture. 2️⃣ Connect Back to Product Vision: Once unified on company objectives, demonstrate how the product vision helps achieve these goals. "Here's our shared goal. Based on customer insights and priorities, this vision drives us towards it.” This shows your vision isn't just arbitrary—it's informed and intentional. 3️⃣ Seek Constructive Feedback: Encourage dialogue. Why might a stakeholder disagree with the vision? Is it truly about priorities, or personal impacts and unmet goals? This feedback refines your approach but remember, the product vision isn't a committee decision. It's guided by data and customer needs. 4️⃣ Give Credit and Build Back: Stakeholders feel valued when their input shapes outcomes. Make sure to recognize their contributions. This fosters trust and buy-in. Being stuck in the build trap often arises from chasing outputs over outcomes. Aligning on higher-level goals ensures your product strategy isn't just a list of features but a pathway to delivering real value. 🎯 So, next time conflicting priorities emerge, remember: align at the top, then articulate a product vision that navigates towards those shared company goals. How have you managed stakeholder alignment in your organization? Share your experiences!

How I transformed chaos into a high-trust environment (Just by asking better questions.) Stakeholder alignment is not easy And this situation tested everything I knew about it. I was leading a critical project with tight deadlines. But one stakeholder was not aligned. She didn’t trust her team. She believed control delivers results. Her working style caused chaos: → She’d would approve a plan, then reverse it. → She would micromanage every detail. → Decisions were emotional, not strategic. This had a negative impact on the project: → The team was frustrated. → Deadlines were slipping. → Team morale was dropping. Here’s how I shifted her mindset and got her to trust the process: 1/ Addressed the fear behind the behavior ↳ I asked: “What’s your biggest concern right now?” ↳ She admitted she feared the project would fail and reflect poorly on her. ↳ Identified what was driving the micromanagement. 2/ Created structure that builds confidence ↳ I shared a clear roadmap with milestones. ↳ Then I asked: “Can we agree to revisit changes only in our weekly syncs?” ↳ She agreed, and we avoided frequent disruptions. 3/ Shifted her from control to contribution ↳ I asked: “Which part of the project would you like to own?” ↳ She chose one area and took full responsibility. ↳ Sharing regular updates reduced her doubts. 4/ Made progress visible ↳ Each week, I presented results in data, not opinions. ↳ Her trust grew as she saw the team’s delivery data. The result? → Frantic emails stopped. → Last-minute changes stopped. → She started trusting the team and the plan. This wasn’t just a project win. It transformed how we worked together. The lesson: You don’t manage stakeholders. You align them. So, always= Ask questions → Set boundaries → Build trust. PS: Ever turned a difficult stakeholder into a champion?