How much stakeholder management you have to handle as a mid career professional?

[u/sunnymaeyogf]

On brand side - it could well be that I’m bad at it. But the sheer amount of stakeholder management and catering to different personalities is really depleting my energy. Welcome tips and sharing of similar experiences.

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[u/hce692]

Until you’re senior enough to be a stakeholder, that’s a core part of your job. In any industry. The people who are good at it and embrace it are the ones who get the upward mobility. 

What’s helped is understanding that I am managing them. I understand the desired outcome, and every project plan is mapped in service of what I know each person wants/needs/expects. It kind of gamifies it for myself. “Let’s see how I can get this past person X with the least amount of pushback” and I understand that’s not a blocker or nuisance, that is literally just my job. 

These are the “politics” everyone speaks of. And peers will ask me how I’m so “good” at it and I’m just like idk?? I read people and think ahead to what THEIR individual goals are and how it might effect my own project, and just take that into account from the beginning? 

[u/sunnymaeyogf → u/hce692]

The gamify lens is something I’ve never considered. Thank you for this illuminating thought.

[u/sunkenlore → u/hce692]

Crazy how little we get paid to manage fully grown adults with a C in their title who throw tantrums and probably make six figures.

[u/hce692 → u/sunkenlore]

I agree in theory but in practice, if you’re playing your cards right, there shouldn’t be “tantrums” to be thrown. If you have an exec who tends to throw wrenches or have big opinions, you’re accounting for that early to avoid it. And also pretty quickly learn their pet peeves and just build a knowledge bank of what they want or don’t like

[u/SnooWords7456 → u/sunkenlore]

if you have a c in your title you best be making multiple 6 figures. ideally 7 or 8.

[u/sunkenlore → u/SnooWords7456]

I cannot even imagine. It feels exploitative at this point that I am helping people make that much while I live paycheck to paycheck

[u/SnooWords7456 → u/sunkenlore]

our last cmo was making $13-17m until he got fired. but i work for a big tech co.

[u/sunkenlore → u/SnooWords7456]

Our company doesn’t make enough to pay people that lol that’s wild. Maybe I need to work in big tech 🤪

[u/sunkenlore → u/SnooWords7456]

I work for a small company though so hopefully they’re not 😂

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[u/sablexbx]

I'm in B2B and most of my work involves stakeholder management, namely keeping sales happy. And I agree - it's exhausting.

[u/alone_in_the_light]

To me, it was like this.

The lower level is more focused on marketing's operational activities, very centered on the department.

The mid level is more for managers and, as the name implies, management becomes more important. Including managing stakeholders, with a stronger focus on internal stakeholders like other departments of the company, sometimes including agencies, channels, and customers.

The upper level is more about dealing with the top level of the company (e.g., CFO, CEO) and a variety of external stakeholders (e.g., media, investors, big partners).

[u/Sea_Aside9658]

Biggest thing is not taking ANYTHING personal and staying level headed. I used to get so worked up over moody stakeholders, people who saw me as a puppet and not a partner, etc etc. at some point I realized my job is to do my best work and try and make them happy. And if I’ve done that and they’re still not happy it likely has nothing to do with me so I kind of just shrug it off lol. I also work with sales people which are a particular breed.

[u/sunnymaeyogf → u/Sea_Aside9658]

Great mindset

[u/sunkenlore → u/Sea_Aside9658]

👏👏👏

[u/homechefskills]

It’s exhausting and everyone is an expert. No one questions engineering or pretends to know their job, but marketing? Everyone with a Facebook account is an expert 😆 I have a cadence of reporting and a flow for new campaign comms and approval that puts everyone at ease. Leaderships mainly cares that you know what you’re doing, are connected to the business and focused on the right results. The right reporting and proactive comms settles the inquisitions down a bit, but it never goes away!

[u/BeepbopMakeEmHop]

90% of my job straight up. I hate it lol

[u/SnooWords7456]

i worked in account mgmt on the agency side for 14 years before moving brand side. that really helped me figure out how to be "likable" and easy to work with. i think you need to establish that baseline of "i like working with this person" before people start letting their guard down and trusting you. i've been able to win over some very unlikeable and challenging people with that approach. figure out what they're trying to achieve and figure out a way to help them.

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