Keeping Stakeholders Informed Throughout Negotiation

On a Saturday, we just placed a crucial Sr. Director role for a key client of Lazio Search Group – a game-changer for their team. But twice in the final stages, the placement nearly stalled. Unexpected feedback surfaced, a key decision-maker went quiet. It could have fallen apart. We knew this candidate was the one. What saved it? The 7+ stakeholders we'd engaged throughout the process. Key insight: Engaging multiple stakeholders isn't just good recruiting practice. It's placement insurance. Here’s the 9-step stakeholder engagement playbook we leverage at Lazio Search Group for critical hires: Early Leadership Alignment: Don’t wait for roadblocks. We facilitate brief, early check-ins between our leadership and client execs to ensure strategic alignment on the role's impact. This builds trust long before challenges arise. Identify the Real Hiring Team: Stakeholders often emerge mid-process. We proactively ask: "Who else will interview?", "Whose input is critical for buy-in?", "Who will this role impact most?" Uncovering these hidden influencers prevents late-stage surprises. Engage Individuals, Not Just the Group: Individual follow-ups are gold. Our team connects 1:1 with interviewers to understand nuanced feedback, address specific concerns, and tailor communication. Quality over quantity. Listen for Cues & Respond Proactively: When an interviewer mentions a specific need or concern (e.g., "Needs strong financial modeling skills"), we use that signal to proactively share relevant candidate insights or adjust screening criteria. Cultivate Multiple Client Advocates: Relying solely on the hiring manager is risky. We build rapport with HR, influential team members, and anyone invested in the hire's success. They become internal champions for the candidate and the process. Welcome New Participants: When a new person joins the interview loop late-stage? We see it as an opportunity, not a hurdle. We quickly bring them up to speed and integrate their perspective. Keep Leadership Informed (Above-the-Line): Ensure client leaders (VP, C-Suite) understand search progress, market dynamics, and candidate quality via concise updates. It builds credibility and maintains momentum. Value Every Interviewer's Input (Below-the-Line): Feedback from potential peers or junior team members can be incredibly insightful and influential in today's flatter organizations. We give genuine attention to all feedback. Strategic Leadership Intervention (When Needed): If a placement stalls due to internal indecision, a well-timed, strategic conversation between Lazio and the client can reinforce the value prop and regain commitment. Engaging multiple stakeholders isn't a tactic. It’s insurance for your critical hires. A placement defense system. Built relationship by relationship, conversation by conversation. So when hiring hurdles appear—and they will— There's a network within your organization ready to navigate them. That's the Lazio Search Group approach.

Without Stakeholder Buy-In, Prepare to Fail 💡🚫 Getting stakeholder buy-in isn’t just a checkbox—it's the foundation of project success. Here’s how to ensure your project has their full support, bringing everyone on board and avoiding roadblocks along the way. 💬 Engage Early and Often Meet with stakeholders at the beginning to understand their vision and expectations. Keep them updated with regular touchpoints. Action Tip: Schedule monthly reviews to get feedback and align on goals. 🤝 Show the Impact of Their Support Demonstrate how their buy-in drives outcomes and project success. Connect project goals with business value and stakeholder objectives. Action Tip: Prepare a one-pager showing how the project aligns with their goals. 📝 Involve Them in Key Decisions Encourage active participation in crucial decisions to build ownership. Use their insights to refine plans and anticipate risks. Action Tip: Send pre-meeting questions or a poll to gather input and make them feel involved. 🔍 Address Concerns Transparently Be upfront about potential risks and challenges. Show stakeholders how their input can help overcome obstacles. Action Tip: Host a risk assessment session and include solutions they suggest. 📈 Show Progress & Celebrate Wins Together Regularly update them on milestones and celebrate achievements, big or small. This reinforces their role in the project’s progress and success. Action Tip: Share a quarterly "win" update with tangible results and impact. Remember: Stakeholder buy-in isn't optional—it's essential. Without it, even the best strategies can fall flat. Engage, involve, and inspire your stakeholders, and watch your project thrive! 🚀✨ #businessanalyst #stakeholder #stakeholdermanagement #businessanalysis

A PM at Google asked me how I managed 30+ stakeholders. 'More meetings?' Wrong. Here's the RACI framework that cut my meeting load by 60% while increasing influence. 1/ 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙫𝙨 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 Most PMs drown because they invite everyone who's "interested." Instead, split your stakeholders into: - R: People doing the work - A: People accountable for success 2/ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙥 Stop asking for approval from everyone. Create two clear buckets: - C: Must consult before decisions - I: Just keep informed of progress 3/ 𝘿𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 > 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 For "Informed" stakeholders, switch to documented updates. They'll actually retain more than in another recurring meeting. 4/ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 "𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲." Use this in every email. Watch the right people emerge. 5/ 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 Build your approval flows around your R&A stakeholders only. Everyone else gets strategic updates. --- This isn't about excluding people. It's about respecting everyone's time while maintaining momentum. If you found this framework helpful for managing stakeholders: 1. Follow Alex Rechevskiy for more actionable frameworks on product leadership and time management 2. Bookmark and retweet to save these tactics and help other PMs streamline their stakeholder management

If you want scope or budget, you have to advocate for your work. I have 4 rules to make sure my work is recognized: 1) Update your stakeholders, not just your manager. I used to think that updating my boss was enough. The result was that other stakeholders didn’t know about my team’s work, so my direct boss was our only advocate in important decisions. So, we lost some opportunities. The lesson here is: know your stakeholders and keep them informed of your results. Get more decision-makers behind your project. 2) Send Bi-weekly updates Now I send bi-weekly updates to all of my stakeholders across organizations. Every two weeks, they receive an email about what is going on in the business and what progress we’ve made. This email ensures that even if I can’t meet with everyone individually, they still stay informed about our work. If someone asks a stakeholder, “What is Kaushik working on?”, they should have an answer. 3) No one likes a long email You can’t flood people’s inboxes with long updates. They won’t read them, and then they won’t know what you are doing. Plus, you might annoy them. 4) Brief and memorable Updates on your work should be like a good tweet: short and sweet. It should only take a few seconds to read. This way, everyone knows a little bit about what you are working on. They can always follow up for more info. I follow these 4 rules to keep my team and stakeholders informed about what Amazon Key is doing. Use this strategy for investors, leaders, or anyone else whose recognition could help your project. How do you make sure your work is noticed?