The terms partners and stakeholders are often used these days. It is important to understand what these mean generally and in the context of Team Coaching.
There are stages in the Team Coaching Process from start to finish. I will expand on this as a means of explaining the importance of stakeholders. At Team Coaching Boutique ® we explain these as part of any stakeholder engagement process which is effectively the first stage. The other stages are related to the live coaching process, which includes a “chemistry” session with the team and subsequently the active coaching. Here the stakeholder can be both the paying and non-paying person or the team.
If we take a corporate or large company client, the stakeholder will be the person paying for the service or engaging the coaching team. Typically, this could be an HR director or an operations director. In either case they will be either the “payer”, or the person who has a direct stake in the outcome. Assuming the engagement proceeds, then arguably the team that is to be coached also become stakeholders, as they have invested their time in the coaching service. Within the Team Coaching Community, the debate rages around who is the “real client”, is it the paying stakeholder or is it the team? The consensus is that it is the team for two reasons. Firstly, they are directly involved in the outcome and secondly the coach will be working with them in real time. In these circumstances, the “client leader” becomes the secondary stakeholder.
So where does the concept of partners fit in? In any professional services relationship whether it be coaching, consulting or other work, the aim is to work with clients as partners. There are two key elements to this. Firstly, it is about co-creating the solution with the client as it will be more sustainable, resonate more, and have greater ownership. Secondly it will be about demonstrating results time after time. Both these elements will help you create the sense that you, as a service provider, can be trusted under all circumstances and while staying viable and credible.
This is easier said than done. What does it take to turn stakeholders into partners? Co-creating a solution will build trust and high levels of engagement. Engagement is multi-faceted and again can be an overly used term. Key elements of engagement include effective two-way communication, alignment, realism, openness, clarity, early-wins and others. I deliberately set aside “Results”. This element is fundamental and must be clearly defined with the stakeholders at the start, even if it is agreed that these will be dynamic. To turn a stakeholder into a partner, these results need to be sustainable and repeatable, which is another reason why expectations must be aligned with the client up front. Again, this is easy to write about but less easy to deliver. In both my consulting and coaching careers, regular check-ins as a means of continuing alignment with the client stakeholder make a demonstrable difference. This alignment process will require openness and authenticity. There will be lumps and bumps on the way, so the ability to give “early warnings” when things have the potential to go awry, make a demonstrable difference. There is an additional element that supports both credibility and viability. That is also the ability to keep novating and reinventing what you do. Staying fresh and current will help the client believe that you can deliver in the future.
The above are just some reflections (snapshot), as a means of provoking thoughts on the options to turn a current stakeholder into a potential partner. Partners can take years to cultivate, but can be lost in a moment, which is why it takes effort, not just initially, but continuously to maintain the ongoing relationships. Historically a lack of authenticity can kill a relationship in a heartbeat.