Must (Can) We Always Keep Our Stakeholders Happy?
In short, YES & NO!
Confusing, right?
Let’s look at it idealistically first. Yes should be the answer – we should always aim to keep our stakeholders happy. They have both direct and implied rights, and as such, the goal is to ensure that our obligations as an organization, to them, are always met.
But in reality, this is both impractical and impossible. The wider the diversity of stakeholders that we have to entertain, the harder it is to keep their respective interests in alignment with our own, not to mention, in alignment (or not in conflict) with theirs as a broader group.
Ensuring that all stakeholders are “happy” is a tough ask, so what we should strive to do is both find a balance where we try to address as many stakeholder interests and requirements as best as we can, remembering the context is the success of our organization first, and then ensure that our communication with stakeholders is transparent and regular.
Communication becomes key. If our communication with stakeholders is always prompt, transparent, and open, then we, as an organization, are doing what we can to best manage their expectations. We might not be making them happy, but we are keeping them in the loop, which is far more important.
Let’s look at it idealistically first. Yes should be the answer – we should always aim to keep our stakeholders happy. They have both direct and implied rights, and as such, the goal is to ensure that our obligations as an organization, to them, are always met.
But in reality, this is both impractical and impossible. The wider the diversity of stakeholders that we have to entertain, the harder it is to keep their respective interests in alignment with our own, not to mention, in alignment (or not in conflict) with theirs as a broader group.
Ensuring that all stakeholders are “happy” is a tough ask, so what we should strive to do is both find a balance where we try to address as many stakeholder interests and requirements as best as we can, remembering the context is the success of our organization first, and then ensure that our communication with stakeholders is transparent and regular.
Communication becomes key. If our communication with stakeholders is always prompt, transparent, and open, then we, as an organization, are doing what we can to best manage their expectations. We might not be making them happy, but we are keeping them in the loop, which is far more important.
So, let's start opening these doors today!
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