How to Manage Challenging Stakeholder Requests

Simple sounding requests are often full of complexity. As an #analyst, you already know that. But your stakeholders often don't. When our stakeholders ask us for an analysis, they haven't usually thought it through completely. Part of our job is to guide them through that process, and force them to define their terms, often at a level of detail that they've never considered. We have to be precise, sometimes annoyingly so. For example, being in #supplychain, my team and I have challenges identifying "active items." It sounds obvious, but we can't just consider launch and exit dates: 1. Are we talking that are active globally, regionally, or just a single BU? 2. We sometimes have a few different versions of the same item - how should we count those? 3. Sometimes we sell retired product to get it out of the warehouse. Does that make them active again? For how long? 4. What about retired product that's still on retail shelves? The list goes on. So what do you do in these situations? 1. Take a few minutes on your own to explore all the possible aspects to consider. Prep a list of questions for your stakeholders. These questions are already annoying - you don't want to pepper them with one-offs all week long. 2. Work with your stakeholders to agree on definitions. Find out from them if any standard definitions already exist within the company - and if you're deviating from them, understand why. 3. Document your decision with your stakeholder. Depending on how formal you need to be, this could simply be keeping good meeting notes, preparing a SOW for them to sign off, or something in between. 4. Provide clarity to the definitions in your final deliverable. Include a page of definitions or embed them directly in your analysis if you can. Highlight any key assumptions you had to make. This process isn't always a fun one, but the alternative - ambiguity, inconsistency, and eventually a lack of confidence in the analysis - is much worse. #analytics #supplychainanalytics #citizendevelopment #lowcode #nocode

How I Work With a Difficult Stakeholder as a Program Manager at Amazon Every PM will face one. Here’s how I keep things moving anyway: 1/ I assume good intent ↳ “What might they be optimizing for?” ↳ Most resistance isn’t personal 2/ I look for shared outcomes ↳ “What do we both want?” ↳ That’s the bridge 3/ I communicate more, not less ↳ Short, clear, consistent updates ↳ Silence makes things worse 4/ I ask directly ↳ “What’s not working from your POV?” ↳ Let them be heard 5/ I show results ↳ Progress shifts energy ↳ Trust follows traction It’s not about making everyone like you. It’s about building momentum anyway. ➕ I share conflict + influence tactics weekly in The Weekly Sync: https://lnkd.in/e6qAwEFc What’s your best strategy when someone resists everything?

Have you ever been spit on for going to work? I have—𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 👮🏾♂️ Putting on a uniform to "serve and protect" meant opening yourself up to these kinds of attacks. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 doesn't get much more difficult than this. 🍀 Lucky for you, there are three things I learned as a police officer that you can use today to work with difficult stakeholders: 1. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻. I don't mean just hear the words, but actually listen to what they are saying. Pay close attention to the person you're dealing with, reflecting on their concerns and emotions, and responding empathetically. This helps build rapport, demonstrates understanding and makes the person feel heard and respected.     2. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗵. Practice de-escalation techniques. The more amped up and loud someone else gets, the softer you should get. Use calm, non-threatening language. Maintain an open body posture and for the love of all things holy, don't personally attack the other person, i.e., "are an an asshole!"     3. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁; 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱. Take a step back and think before taking action in a situation. Reacting allows your emotions to guide your response without considering the consequences or the best course of action. Responding involves taking a moment to assess the situation, gather information, and make a thoughtful, deliberate decision on how to proceed. Dealing with difficult stakeholders is a part of doing business. Hopefully, my experience can make this a little better for you. And if nothing else, at least you aren't getting spit on 😆. ~fin~

Yesterday, my mentee shared a common yet tricky challenge.   She's leading a big organizational integration, dealing directly with VP-level stakeholders.   ⤷ One VP is clearly overburdened, juggling more tasks than feasible. ⤷ Despite this, he insists he doesn't need help, even as deadlines slip. ⤷ It's not about avoiding work; he's in too deep but won't admit he's overwhelmed.   So, what do you do when someone's drowning but won't take the life jacket you're throwing ❓   👇 My recommendation 👇   ☝️ Start with empathy. Acknowledge the hard work and dedication first. It's crucial he feels seen, not judged. Org. Integrations always get people on the edge.   🔍 Next, offer specific, manageable ways you can assist. Sometimes, people can't see a way out until it's laid out for them.   ✅ Propose a temporary reassignment of tasks within the team. Focus on lightening the load, not questioning capability.   💬 Facilitate a team discussion focused on resource allocation and support. It’s easier to accept help when it’s a group strategy, not personal.   🔄 Lastly, establish regular check-ins to adjust workloads dynamically. This isn't a one-time fix but an ongoing dialogue.   Have you faced a similar challenge? How did you navigate it?