25 Nov Building Stakeholder Relationships as a New Executive
From Expert to Executive: Redefining How You Build Influence
The transition from professional to executive is one of the most significant shifts in leadership. It’s no longer just about your expertise, results, or even your direct team. Your success now depends on something far more relational: how well you understand and engage with the people who shape your organization’s direction and outcomes.
Quick Answer: Building stakeholder relationships as a new executive requires a shift from doing the work to influencing through others. Success at this level depends on strategic connection across boundaries, intentional preparation, authentic dialogue, and consistent follow-through that builds trust over time.
At this level, your work happens through others across boundaries, functions, and even organizations. The quality of your stakeholder relationships determines the quality of your impact.
The Shift: From Doing to Influencing
As an expert, you earned credibility through knowledge and performance. As an executive, your credibility is built through trust, perspective, and alignment.
This shift can feel disorienting at first. Influence now relies less on having the answers and more on cultivating understanding, dialogue, and collaboration among people who hold different priorities or points of view.
How to Build Strategic Stakeholder Relationships
1. Know Who to Connect With
Start by mapping your landscape:
- Upward: Who influences the direction, resources, and success of your portfolio? (e.g., Board members, CEO, or executive peers)
- Across: Who are your lateral partners in strategy execution? (e.g., cross-functional peers, senior managers, or key advisors)
- Outward: Which external partners, regulators, clients, or communities impact your results or reputation?
Prioritize by impact and interdependence: who most affects, or is affected by, your work?
2. Prepare Before You Reach Out
Intentionality builds credibility. Before initiating a conversation:
- Research their role, current focus, and any organizational pressures they face.
- Clarify your purpose: Is this about alignment, collaboration, learning, or support?
- Reflect on what value you can offer (insight, connection, perspective, or listening).
Preparation ensures your approach is grounded, not transactional.
3. How to Connect and What to Ask
The first conversation sets the tone. Keep it simple and genuine:
- “I’m looking to understand what’s most important in your area right now.”
- “What does success look like from your perspective?”
- “Where do you see opportunities or challenges for us to better align?”
- “How can I best support or partner with you?”
These questions shift the focus from telling to understanding, building trust through curiosity and respect.
4. Engage Authentically During the Conversation
Listen for themes, priorities, and unspoken dynamics. Reflect back what you hear to show understanding. Avoid rushing to solutions; instead, look for alignment and next steps that demonstrate follow-through and accountability.
Your presence (how grounded, open, and thoughtful you are) often communicates more than your words.
5. Follow Up Consistently
The relationship begins after the meeting. Send a brief follow-up note acknowledging insights gained or actions agreed upon. Check in periodically without agenda; share relevant updates or insights that connect to their priorities. Over time, this consistency builds trust, reliability, and influence.
Applying This at Conferences and Industry Events
For many professionals, conferences have been about learning or sharing expertise. As an executive, they become something more: an opportunity to strengthen your ecosystem of relationships.
Rather than arriving and hoping to make good connections, start before you go:
- Review the speaker list, attendee roster, or LinkedIn posts using the event hashtag.
- Identify the people who influence your industry or whose work connects to your organization’s priorities.
- Research their roles, recent initiatives, and interests.
- Reach out in advance with a thoughtful note: “I’ll be attending [Conference Name] next week and noticed you’ll be speaking on [topic]. I’d love to connect and hear your perspective on [shared area of interest].”
During the event, focus on meaningful conversations, not volume. Ask insightful questions, exchange perspectives, and take notes on what matters to the person, not just what was discussed.
Afterward, follow up within a few days: reference something you appreciated or found valuable, and suggest continuing the dialogue. Over time, these touchpoints create a foundation for authentic stakeholder relationships that extend well beyond the conference.
Leading at the EDGE
Stakeholder relationships are a living expression of leadership at the EDGE:
- Elevation: Seeing the broader system and understanding how relationships shape strategy and culture
- Development: Growing your ability to connect, listen, and influence with authenticity
- Growth: Moving beyond expertise into relational leadership
- Expansion: Extending your reach through trust and collaboration
Common Questions About Building Stakeholder Relationships
How do I prioritize which stakeholders to focus on first?
Start with those who have the greatest impact on your work or are most affected by your decisions. Map upward (senior leaders), across (peers), and outward (external partners), then prioritize based on interdependence and strategic importance.
What if I don’t have a natural reason to reach out to a key stakeholder?
Create one. Ask for their perspective on an industry trend, seek advice on a challenge in their area of expertise, or simply express interest in understanding their priorities. Genuine curiosity is always a valid reason to connect.
How often should I follow up without seeming pushy?
Quality matters more than frequency. After your initial conversation, send a brief follow-up within a few days. Then check in when you have something genuinely valuable to share or when circumstances naturally create a touchpoint (shared project updates, relevant articles, or industry events).
Strengthening Your Leadership Through Connection
When you step into executive leadership, your role shifts from doing the work to creating the conditions where great work happens through others. Relationships are not a side task; they are the system that enables everything else.
Consider this: Which relationships deserve your most intentional attention right now, and what one small step could you take this week to strengthen them?
If you’re stepping into a new executive role or want to deepen your influence in your current one, I’d be glad to help you strengthen the skills that build authentic, strategic connections which will, in turn, support you to build out a plan to start, get momentum, and expand your network.