Why Stakeholders?

Dear Rosemary,

I’ll start with Marshall Goldsmith’s observations from his AI website, https://marshallgoldsmith.ai/ I’ll then add an explanation and my two cents. Here’s Marshall:

In Stakeholder Centered Coaching, stakeholders play a critical role in the coaching process. Their importance can be summarized as follows:

Feedback Providers: Stakeholders are essential in providing honest and constructive feedback about the leader’s strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback is crucial for identifying the specific behaviors that need to change.

Support System: Stakeholders actively support the leader’s development by offering suggestions and encouragement. They help the leader stay accountable and motivated throughout the coaching process.

Behavior and Perception Change: Stakeholders help in changing not only the leader’s behavior but also their own perceptions of the leader. This dual change is necessary for the leader’s improvements to be recognized and accepted by others.

Continuous Improvement: By engaging stakeholders in regular follow-ups and feedback loops, the coaching process ensures continuous improvement and alignment with the leader’s goals.

Systemic Approach: Stakeholder Centered Coaching involves a systems approach where the coach, coachee, and stakeholders work together. This collaboration enhances the effectiveness of the coaching process and ensures that the leader’s development is supported by those who interact with them daily.

In summary, stakeholders are integral to the success of Stakeholder Centered Coaching as they provide feedback, support, and help in changing both behavior and perception, leading to positive, measurable results.

How does this work?

Stakeholders are a subset of the 3-3-1 people described here. Although I prefer four to six stakeholders, there’s no fixed number. Stakeholders are initially “enrolled,” meaning the leader’s goal and Action Plan are shared and their role in the process is explained. In addition to real-time feedback and feedforward, each stakeholder meets with the leader once per month where he or she provides input on goal progress and suggests further steps. Eventually, the stakeholders receive the confidential Mini-Survey where they will evaluate progress numerically and provide further suggestions for the leader’s growth. (Here’s a roadmap of the process.)

My two cents: I agree completely with what Marshall says. I’ll add one more benefit that warms my heart. When working with a leader, I’ll often suggest making someone a stakeholder who doesn’t presently have a good relationship with that leader. If/when the leader overcomes the anxiety of making him or herself vulnerable to such a person, I often find that what once was a frosty relationship turns warm long-term.

Best,

Jathan

Jathan Janove is a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching Master Coach and Practice Leader. You can learn more about him here. If you have a question you’d like him to address, please email us at AsktheCoach@mgscc.net.