Here's the bonus category: Yourself. We've spent so much time thinking about other people, we might have forgotten that it's important how we feel about our own work! Looking at it this way, you realize that you are independent of your work. So how does the work help you to achieve your life and career goals? How would you LIKE to relate to your work? Examples of this might include: I want to learn new things in my work. I want greater flexibility for taking my career in new … [Read more...]

I've broken out partners as a distinct category of stakeholders, because the relationships are much different than the others in our diagram. The simple definition of "partner" is someone who works with you to deliver value to their customers and your customers, and to their management and your management. In the case of your teammates, the customers and management might be the same. In fact, that makes decisions much easier, because you hopefully have an environment that's aligned and … [Read more...]

As we travel through the stakeholders, your customers end up being one of the most powerful categories. And the length of this list might surprise you! Depending on your job, the end customer might seem very distant. My first career out of college was as an engineer, and there were many stages between my work and the people who actually purchased the products I worked on. But as I became more experienced, I recognized that the people who spend money are the most important ones to understand, … [Read more...]

On our journey through the stakeholders, people often think that "management" is the easiest one to figure out. But it may be trickier than you think! I define "management" as the people who are given the power to direct your work, and as such are responsible for whether you do a good job or not. Sure, it starts with your immediate boss, the person who tells you what to do. Even the person at the top of a company has to deal with a board of directors, although it can often be more fruitful … [Read more...]

Let's start off this series of "stakeholders" by exploring your suppliers. People can struggle with this category, so let's explore it a bit more. Let's suppose that you're in marketing or sales. Who develops the products or services that you sell? Who purchases or supplies them? Or suppose you're in customer service, answering questions and resolving issues. What are the products your customers call about? Who controls them? Perhaps you're in accounting or human resources. Where do … [Read more...]

I'd like to spend some articles here talking about all the different people that you work with. Why? Because it's crucial to developing the kinds of relationships that will help you not only now, but in your lifelong career journey. The concept is straightforward: When you become clear on the needs of those you work with, you're able to make better decisions, deliver more value, and be happier with your job. For the lack of a better term, I'll call these people your "stakeholders." Let's … [Read more...]