Stakeholder Mapping for CSR

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹. A lame hodgepodge of names, emails and vague notes that don't move the needle towards achieving your policy, reputation, and political goals. Here are some more powerful ways to organize so you can have greater impact and influence, which is the whole purpose right? ⬇ ⬇ 𝗕𝘆 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿: —This is the often the first way to organize “tabs” or define labeled categories but it shouldn't be the last. Some examples: media (print, broadcast, bloggers/influencers, podcasts) think tanks and universities, charitable partners, elected officials and senior staff, trade associations and coalitions, embassies, etc. 𝗕𝘆 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀: —Depends on your org., but say you’re a hospital company, these would probably include ones like Medicare/Medicaid, drug prices, workforce, DEI, price transparency, EMR/data security, antitrust, site neutrality, etc. 𝗕𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲/𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: — Is the stakeholder currently an ally, neutral/persuadable, or a detractor? This will often depend on the issue. Obviously, consistent allies on all issues are rare (and super valuable if they’re influential, see below), but it’s crucial to know where you stand in real time. 𝗕𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲/𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁/𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅: —Regularly sketch out a side map outlining how interested and impactful various stakeholders are on important issues. Think high interest/low influence, high interest / high influence (the best of its aligned to your strategies, a challenge if not), low interest, high influence, etc. Recco doing this for your top 3 main issues. 𝗕𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸: —Here, past performance is often (but not always) indicative of future results. Assign numbered 1-3 rankings to the most important stakeholders. Group 1 are the most engaged, group 3 the least engaged. **Do this for your allies, neutrals/persuadable and definitely for detractors.** 𝗕𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 (𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀/𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀): —Whose been lead on “watering the plants” from particular groups? What is the nature of the relationship (e.g. former colleague, friend, acquaintance, donor/supporter), how far does it go back? Are there secondary connections within the org.? 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝟭: This doesn’t need to be someone from Corporate Affairs, sometimes back channel relationships can do more than formal ones. 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝟮:People come and go often. Develop and nurture secondary contacts wherever possible. However your org. manages the map, it needs to be a living, breathing asset. Feel free to add your ideas in comments and big thanks to my friends at Ortus Draws for the awesome infographic that brings it all home!

Struggling with stakeholder buy-in? I have a template that can help. The Power-Interest matrix maps key stakeholders into 4 personas: 🔴 The ARCHITECTS (high power, high interest) These are people with a lot of power who are very involved in research (e.g., product managers, design leaders) 🟢 The OBSERVERS (high power, low interest) Someone with a lot of power, but an arms-length distance from your work (e.g., Head of Product., C-suite) 🟡 The EXPLORERS (low power, high interest) They’re super interested in your work, but don’t have a lot of influence in the org (fellow UXRs, designers) 🔵 The CASUAL OBSERVERS (low power, low interest) Someone without a lot of influence or interest in research (think other team members like sales, marketing) To make getting buy-in easier, you need to understand each stakeholder persona, and talk to them accordingly. ARCHITECTS need most attention. They need close management with regular updates + involvement. OBSERVERS only care about business outcomes. They prefer concise reports & summaries that are action-oriented, without jargon. For CASUAL OBSERVERS, you can loop them in on big breakthroughs + findings that matter to their work. EXPLORERS are fans of research. Keep them informed through shared repositories & weekly syncs. For a detailed analysis of each stakeholder and how to engage with them better, go here: https://bit.ly/4b0wGSC If you want to skip the reading, just use my FREE Stakeholder Persona Mapping Figjam template: https://bit.ly/4b4JN5A Which type of stakeholders have you struggled with the most? Please share wisdom in the comments! 👇 #uxresearch #stakeholdermanagement

Are stakeholders ghosting your meetings, blocking decisions, or suddenly objecting at the eleventh hour? The predictability/power matrix is a strategic approach to manage them effectively, reducing risks and opposition. This tool categorizes stakeholders based on two key factors: • Power: Identify high-impact stakeholders requiring close management. • Predictability: Assess behavior patterns to develop proactive engagement strategies. Some argue that stakeholder maps and models are outdated. While these models originated in a different business era, organizations can still benefit from tailored stakeholder mapping processes that align with their specific goals, leading to improved outcomes. Here's a step-by-step guide to using this tool: 1. List stakeholders: Identify all parties involved in your project. 2. Assess power levels: Evaluate each stakeholder's ability to impact your project. Consider their role and resources. 3. Determine predictability: Analyze how consistent each stakeholder's behavior is. Look at past actions and current attitudes. 4. Plot on the matrix: Place stakeholders on the grid based on their power and predictability scores. Master this tool and transform unpredictable stakeholders into manageable ones. — P.S. Unlock 20 years' worth of leadership lessons sent straight to your inbox. Every Wednesday, I share exclusive insights and actionable tips on my newsletter. (Link in my bio to sign up). Remember, leaders succeed together.

Engagement for Sustainability Goals For sustainability efforts to thrive, companies need to think about their customers, employees, and the communities they operate in. Engaging stakeholders from the start leads to more rewarding, sustainable, and successful programs. Key Strategies for Engagement: 1. Connect and Empower: Engage your workforce from day one by tapping into their collective intelligence. Encourage buy-in, ownership of goals, and partnership. Empower customers, suppliers and employees to contribute ideas and take individual actions towards sustainability. Scope 3 emissions represent about 70% of an organization's emissions (Deloitte); imagine your customers and suppliers contributing ideas & action. 2. Green Loyalty Programs: Draw inspiration from other loyalty programs. Modernize this approach by creating dynamic programs that reward sustainable actions, such as incentivizing carbon offset purchases (think some airlines offering one a chance to offset your flight's emissions). 3. Foster Community: In today’s isolated work-from-home environment, building a sense of community is crucial. Create opportunities for customers, employees and others to engage in outdoor activities, nature-based learning, and volunteer programs focused on sustainability. Come build a trail at one of our Scout Camps! 4. Continuous Learning: Encourage ongoing education about sustainability within your organization. Provide resources and training to keep sustainability top-of-mind and ensure everyone is informed and motivated. Offer your own LinkedIn badge to those who complete courses. Imagine if a major corporation like Microsoft offered LinkedIn sustainability badges - how many thousands of customers and employees would be displaying proudly! 5. Wellness: Tie in the concept of healthy people and a healthy planet. Change behaivors toward conservation and sustainability by unlocking personal wellness opportunities.... “tend” to both human and environmental health. Engagement is the driving force behind achieving and sustaining environmental goals. Let’s embrace it as the new currency for sustainable operations.

Here's a partnership that rights holders and brands can work together on, and it's good for the community... I'm excited to see more partnerships that go beyond signage and instead focus on real impact. The Seattle Sounders FC (my local MLS Team) and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) have launched a multi-year collaboration that fuses purpose, education, and community outreach while aligning with fan values and club culture. This partnership is the kind of strategic thinking that raises the bar in sponsorships. Seattle Sounders FC and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) have announced a new multi-year partnership focused on energy efficiency, sustainability, and impactful community outreach. Why is this important? - Purpose-Driven Partnership: PSE becomes Sounders FC's Official Energy Efficiency Partner, aligning brand purpose with community needs. I'm a big fan of these because rights holders can be the echo chamber for messaging. - Localized Community Impact: The partnership centers on reaching underserved households and educating them about PSE's energy-saving programs. - Player Ambassador Activation: Midfielder Pedro de la Vega will be the face of the campaign, helping to bridge the gap between fans and public resources. - Cultural Relevance: Tapping into the passion of soccer fans to inspire action around sustainability and energy awareness. Within Washington State, soccer has a very passionate fan base. - Strategic Alignment: Combines sport, environmental responsibility, and social good—all pillars of modern brand partnerships. How brands can activate partnerships like this: - Leverage player ambassadors for trust and reach. - Focus on CSR-related initiatives that resonate locally and regionally. Use team platforms and channels to scale educational messaging. - Partner with nonprofit arms (e.g., RAVE Foundation) for grassroots programming. When brands and rights holders lead with purpose and deliver measurable value, the result is more than just impressions—it's impact. This collaboration is a model for how teams and utilities (or other service providers) can empower communities while building affinity. For more, we're always here to help. #sportsbiz #partnership #heretohelp

Having the wrong stakeholders will definitely kill your project. When your main contact is too low in the organization? You watch your work get filtered through layers of hierarchy before reaching the real decision-maker. Most agencies have rigor around account management (selling new projects) and product delivery… …but not around true partnership. The solution is not complicated, but it requires structure. 💡 First, we use RACI charts to map every stakeholder's role precisely: - R (Responsible): Who handles the day-to-day decisions? - A (Approver): Who makes the final call? (usually the CEO or senior leader) - C (Considered): Who needs to be consulted? - I (Informed): Who just needs updates on outcomes? Then, we put a ton of structure around engaging these different tiers to ensure we are not wasting time. Understanding an approver's vacation schedule in March might seem trivial… but it prevents project slowdowns in July. And here is what most people miss: The agenda and note-taking are the unsung heroes of successful project management. They help us capture everything about our stakeholders' mindset and write the history of the project. Not just their project goals, but the full picture: - How are they looking at the bigger picture? - What other dynamics are happening in their business? - What decisions need to be made? - Who is accountable by when? When we document and understand these details, we can present work in the exact context they need for success. By engaging proper stakeholders at all levels directly, everything runs smoother. We use engagement mapping to make this happen: - Creative directors talk to creative directors - Marketing directors talk to project managers - Executive sponsors talk to C-level stakeholders Because if you are the CEO, you do not you need to be talking to someone with context of the project and the business. That is why we always try to present our work ourselves. So we can: - Hear the feedback directly - Address it immediately - Drive conversations forward - Ask follow up questions for context We are listening for different things than someone internally would. While big agencies might take clients to basketball games and focus on building friendships… We focus on what matters: Overdelivering every metric and keeping laser-focused on business objectives. Because true partnership is not about being friends. It is about delivering value in every single interaction.

As a brand leader, securing stakeholder alignment upfront (and not assuming you have it) is crucial before major initiatives—launches, brand refreshes, new messaging, etc. Differing perspectives are often the quickest way to derail progress! Taking stock of the situation is a step that's easy to skip. But instead... at the start of a new initiative, audit your key brand decision-makers and influencers—from the obvious (CEO, CMO) to the less visible (board members, early investors). Understand their: 🔸 Professional backgrounds 🔸 Personal drivers/motivations AND what they're goaled on 🔸 Communication preferences 🔸 Experience with brand strategy For example, is one of your stakeholders a first-time founder? Expect more personal tastes driving decisions. Or, a newly-hired exec might be looking to prove themselves—proactively bring them into your process and what's been done so far so they don't make as many assumptions. Next, identify potential sticking points so you can get ahead of them. Where have brand conversations become unproductive before? What makes execs clam up or get distracted? Proactively plan to navigate those potholes. This critical context-gathering (the often invisible pre-work) helps you tailor your approach for collaboration. Speak stakeholders' language, give visibility into your process, and reinforce how brand work supports the business—every single meeting. Driving alignment is an upfront investment that pays dividends later. When stakeholders actively engage and agree upfront, brand strategy sticks. #BrandStrategy #BrandLeadership #Marketing #Alignment