Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the critical role of leadership in stakeholder engagement within the realm of project management. They emphasize the significance of understanding and managing the human factors, such as stakeholders' wants, needs, and dynamics, to enhance project outcomes. The discussion includes identifying, assessing, and engaging stakeholders effectively, underlining the complexities and the dynamic nature of stakeholder relationships. They also touch on the challenges posed by diverse stakeholder needs, the importance of building relationships early in the project, and strategies for managing different levels of stakeholder engagement. The dialogue highlights that successful project management goes beyond technical know-how, requiring adeptness at navigating human relationships and organizational politics.

Main Take-Aways

Project Leadership regarding stakeholder management involves relationship building. The three major activities or tasks in working with our stakeholders involve:

• Identification – discovering my stakeholders (primary, secondary, minor)
• Assessment – analyzing and capturing their characteristics, involvement, skills and abilities
• Engagement – meaningful involvement and contribution

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Project Leadership With Regard to Identifying, Assessing, and Engaging Our Stakeholders

00:28 Diving into leadership as it pertains to stakeholder management, influencing our stakeholders to help ensure the success of the project.

01:45 The evolution of stakeholder engagement from passive interest to active involvement.

03:15 Some of the challenges and strategies in leading stakeholder engagement on our projects.

06:02 Introducing the topic of stakeholder identification, assessment, and engagement.

06:35 A deeper dive into the identification of stakeholders and some of the challenges project managers encounter in that discovery process.

08:30 Considerations in assessing stakeholder individuals and groups, and additional challenges project managers face as they both assess and continue to identify stakeholders.

16:24 Navigating stakeholder engagement and relationship building – it really does come down to the human factors of stakeholder management and those all-important relationships.

19:33 Concluding thoughts on this introduction to stakeholder management.