A Stake in the Ground. Moving Stakeholders to Become Shareholders

Funny thing about stakeholders

When you are setting up a tent, the stakes keep it secure. You need the stakeholders or loops to be positioned correctly so that they connect with the stakes and provide support in key places.

Sometimes, as you get settled into a camping spot you realize that the winds have shifted and you need to adjust the tent. That is not a big deal. It just requires pulling up the stakes and shifting the position before once again securing the stakes in the ground with the stakeholders.

As time goes on, you find you want to move the tent to a different location so you can explore new places.  The problem is, when you go to pull the stakes out of the ground after they have been in one place for a while, they can be quite difficult to move. It takes serious prying and pulling to get some of them out. In the process, sometimes the loops rip off the tent and the stakes bend and become unusable. You realize that while some of them may be reused, others will need to be replaced when you set up in a new location.

Your organizational stakeholders are much the same.

Any organization requires a core group of people willing to help guide, support, fund, and ground the mission. To do that, they have to believe that the mission and vision are well defined and align with their values. They are typically passionate about what is happening and want to be vocal supporters. In the beginning, as an organization gets started, there is significant energy and support for growing and expanding the mission. After a time, the organization tends to find a sweet spot and settles into a good rhythm that works.

So, what happens when that rhythm starts to hold you back? What happens when you want to pull up stakes and shift the proverbial ground under the tent?

Changing any part of the mission may feel like a big move to your stakeholders. Some of them may be willing to pull up and come with you, some break off and are no longer part of the structure, and some bend and require time and attention before they can be used to build and secure the organization in its new location.

Does that mean you should not make changes? Probably not. But it does mean that there is a cost and that the cost should be considered carefully.

Somewhere along the line, the organization saw value in those stakeholders – just as the stakeholders saw value in the organization. So, what has changed? If you, as an organization, see value in making a change, you should be able to convince your stakeholders of that value.  

If you can’t convince them, you have to ask yourself if you are changing the right things. Because, if you lose those stakeholders, you will also be losing social capital that will damage your ability to function well in your community.  

That, my friends, is why stakeholder management is a critical skill. It is far easier to come in and bulldoze your way to your vision. It is easy to complain that the “old guard” is not keeping up with change. It is not that hard to pretend to listen to your stakeholders, and then do exactly what you want anyway, since you are the one in charge. Some leaders even choose to surround themselves exclusively with those who agree with them and thus insulate themselves from a diversity of views.

Don’t be that person. 

At the end of the day, your organization will gain great value from your ability to work collaboratively with your stakeholders. Jointly you can devise a strategy for change that keeps the best of the organization while creating space for growth. Take the time to truly work through the challenges in a methodical fashion that makes space for a diversity of views. Your organization will benefit from the ability to integrate new ideas and social capital without losing the foundation that got them to this point.