Stakeholder engagement is not one-size-fits-all.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned working in stakeholder-heavy environments is that stakeholders are all different.

They come with different expectations, levels of influence, relationships with your organisation, and ideas about how engagement should look. They might be clients, community members, funding bodies, different levels of government, local politicians, your executive team, internal teams — or the media. Often, they’re several of these at once.

Because of that, there’s no single approach that works for everyone.

What stakeholders need from you — or from your team — can also change quickly. What felt urgent yesterday might not matter today. Someone who wanted close involvement last month might now prefer a light touch. The one constant, in my experience, is that people want to know you’re accessible and authentic — even if they don’t always agree with you.

Relationship-building is central to this work, and it’s important to be realistic about it. You’re not always going to be everyone’s cup of tea — internally or externally. And that’s okay. Trust isn’t built through being liked by everyone; it’s built through being consistent, respectful and honest about how you show up.

My natural style is to jump forward. I’m inclined to engage early, lean in and keep things moving. That approach works in many situations — but not all. Over time, I’ve learned the value of slowing myself down and reading the room.

Sometimes, the most strategic thing you can do is observe how others are engaging. Who is being listened to? Who already has the stakeholder’s trust? Where is the energy in the room — and where is it not?

That observation creates space. It allows time to formulate a considered response rather than reacting in the moment. And importantly, it opens up more options.

Because the right response might not come from you. It might not come at that meeting, that moment, or in that forum. It could come later, from another member of the team, from the most senior person in the room, or from someone the stakeholder already has confidence in.

Working out who that person is — and being comfortable stepping back so they can step forward — is a critical leadership skill. It requires humility, trust in your team, and a clear focus on outcomes rather than ego.

Effective stakeholder engagement isn’t about being everywhere, all the time. It’s about being intentional — knowing when to engage, when to observe, and when to let the right voice carry the message.

And like most things in this space, you won’t always get it right. But being thoughtful about how — and when — you show up makes all the difference.

My take

Our stakeholders will likely need something unique in each interaction, so the best we can do is listen, acknowledge the information shared, use our influence and adapt the approach to suit them.

🙂

Keryn