Stakeholder Engagement and Team Leadership
Stakeholders and engagement
Stakeholder management begins with identification, then analysis of power, interest, influence, and impact, captured in a stakeholder register and engagement plan. Engagement levels range from unaware through resistant, neutral, supportive, and leading; the PM works to move key stakeholders toward the level needed. Communication must be planned: who needs what, when, in what format, and through which channel. Remember that communication is two-way - the PM is responsible for ensuring the message is received and understood, not merely sent.
Leading teams
Know Tuckman's stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning) and that conflict during storming is normal. Distinguish functional/line manager authority from project manager authority. Understand motivation theory at a high level (e.g., intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, Maslow, Herzberg's hygiene versus motivators) and the difference between a team (shared goals, interdependent) and a group. Servant leadership and situational leadership appear in adaptive contexts.
Traps
- Assuming all conflict is bad - task conflict can improve decisions; relationship conflict is corrosive.
- Escalating a people problem before attempting direct, private resolution.
- Confusing a RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed) with a communication plan - RACI assigns roles, not messages.
Rule of thumb
When a question describes a stakeholder who is resisting, the first move is to understand why (analyze and communicate), not to escalate or remove them. Address conflict privately and directly before involving management.