What I Learned About Stakeholder Engagement

A PM at Google asked me how I managed 30+ stakeholders. 'More meetings?' Wrong. Here's the RACI framework that cut my meeting load by 60% while increasing influence. 1/ 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙫𝙨 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 Most PMs drown because they invite everyone who's "interested." Instead, split your stakeholders into: - R: People doing the work - A: People accountable for success 2/ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙥 Stop asking for approval from everyone. Create two clear buckets: - C: Must consult before decisions - I: Just keep informed of progress 3/ 𝘿𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 > 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 For "Informed" stakeholders, switch to documented updates. They'll actually retain more than in another recurring meeting. 4/ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚 "𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲." Use this in every email. Watch the right people emerge. 5/ 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 Build your approval flows around your R&A stakeholders only. Everyone else gets strategic updates. --- This isn't about excluding people. It's about respecting everyone's time while maintaining momentum. If you found this framework helpful for managing stakeholders: 1. Follow Alex Rechevskiy for more actionable frameworks on product leadership and time management 2. Bookmark and retweet to save these tactics and help other PMs streamline their stakeholder management

I used to think stakeholder management was all about status updates and timelines. Then one project changed everything. One stakeholder—let’s call him John—was “not that involved.” Or so I thought. John was a “quiet influencer.” Not a decision-maker, but someone who could sway those who were. Without John on board, I’d hit invisible roadblocks, delays I couldn’t explain. So I started paying attention in a new way. I noticed who held real influence, even if they weren’t in every meeting. I adapted my updates—not everyone wanted data; some only wanted the big picture. And I learned to listen closely. Sometimes the biggest risks weren’t spelled out. They were hidden in tone, in pauses, in what wasn’t said. I also learned priorities shift fast. If you don’t catch those changes, they’ll catch you. Stakeholder management isn’t just status reports. It’s reading the room, spotting the invisible players, and keeping the whole machine moving. Ever had a “John” on your project?

My Failure - #1: Slow down so you don’t F up. When we kicked off our website refresh, my goal was clear: move fast and free up my CEO’s time so she could stay focused on the bigger picture. As VP of Marketing, I felt confident our team could handle the execution - easy right. Ha. Here’s the reality- no one at a company has a stronger pulse on evolving priorities than the CEO. By the time I looped her in, the work no longer aligned with her evolving vision. Deadlines were missed. Back to the drawing board. It wasn’t that the work was wrong—it’s that I skipped a crucial step. I thought I was saving time, but I was creating friction. What I learned: 1. Leadership isn’t just about driving strategy; it’s about aligning with key stakeholders. The CEO doesn’t need to be in every detail, but they do need to feel connected to the process. 2. A CEO’s input is less about tactics and more about ensuring the work aligns with the broader vision. Ignoring that early leads to rework later. 3. Moving fast without alignment isn’t speed—it’s inefficiency disguised as progress. Looking forward: • Stakeholder alignment is step one for every major project. Especially when it involves the CEO • Build processes that enable quick, meaningful check-ins at key points—this keeps momentum without losing alignment • Prioritize clarity over speed. A little extra time upfront saves a lot of time downstream. 👇🏻 This was a humbling lesson/reminder in leadership. I didn’t just learn how to avoid this mistake—I learned how to create better processes that continue to support the big picture. - - - - - - Hoping to be more vulnerable in 2025 and share mistakes publicly to force growth but also help show it’s sometimes the little mistakes that fuel growth. No judgement please as you start to see more of these from me :)