In a recent post – ‘Why Does My Stakeholder Escalate Issues?’ we discussed the topic of expectation management.
No stakeholder wants to put you in a spot, knowingly. But, when you don’t keep them posted on progress or can’t keep your word on an agreed plan, things can go out of hand. Managing escalations isn’t the favorite pastime of managers. Everyone wants to look ahead and get better with what they do – not look back and see who is dropping the ball.
The ownership is on you to stay on top of your game at work and in life. You need to drive the agenda and move forward. While we focus a lot on building trust and credibility about the work we do as communicators, we often ignore the gaps that come in the way of success.
I call these – ‘degraders’; actions or inactions that erode and diminish the good work you do, slowly but surely. Is there a way to prevent them? Yes, there is. In this post, I will focus on a few that can help you identify and overcome your credibility ‘eroders’.
a) Not acknowledging communication: Everyone expects a response to a communication that they send or share – and that completes the loop. Even more so in a socially hyperactive world the need to acknowledge has got even more acute. It is a busy life no doubt – with e-mails, text messages, Whatsapp, phone calls, meetings, events and off-sites to attend to. However, by not acknowledging a message you are hurting yourself in the long run. You may not have the answer to the request or the solution to the problem someone is seeking. Just letting the individual know that you have received the message and you will respond in a timely manner is all that is needed. Not acknowledging leads to angst, mismatched expectations and loss of credibility – not something you can take a chance on when first impressions matter at the workplace.
b) Not communicating enough: There is no excuse for not communicating enough. Even simple stuff like updating your stakeholder about your time-off or putting an out of office when you are on leave or updating them about your progress, even if you have made limited progress. You don’t need to be boastful when you share your update – a simple message about how you have fared and what support you need, is probably all that you must do.
c) Not completing the loop: Nothing can peeve a stakeholder more than not getting closure about a project. Sharing the minutes of the meetings, calling out clear ownership and taking stock of the current situation helps your stakeholder know you are on top of your game. Not completing the loop leads to erosion of trust and impacts your own career prospects.
d) Not clarifying your roles and responsibilities: Not every stakeholder will know what you do or what your team does. Taking a few minutes to share your goals and how it adds up to what the organization is hoping to achieve can provide the line of sight for stakeholders. Support stakeholders’ understanding of your work scope and ownership so that expectations are set early.
What are other practices that you think can help rebuild credibility? Look forward to hearing from you.
Note: this post also appears on my Linkedin page.
