My manager told me to trip.
Literally. Not fall-on-my-face trip, but stumble a little while entering a meeting room.
Why, oh why, would he give me that advice?
To make myself relatable. Be a little clumsy. Laugh about it and break the ice.
I thought it was important to stay professional at all times. Dress like someone in Suits, put on a serious face, speak in a serious manner. Turns out, that distance was keeping me from actually connecting with clients.
Here's the thing about stakeholder management nobody tells you - it's not about the perfect roadmap or the perfect project plan. It's about trust and connecting on a personal level.
It's:
→ How you respond in Slack
→ How you show up in calls
→ Wishing people a nice weekend
→ Sharing something real about yourself (I had a really hard time with this one, whether with colleagues or clients)
It's not just about YOU getting to know THEM which is what I believed for a long time.
It's about letting them see you too.
I used to default to "everything's good!" when people asked. But I'm learning to actually share - the hard parts too.
Because when I share, people have more empathy for me. More patience. More understanding.
And I want that window into their lives too. Their worries, their ambitions, what lights them up.
That's when stakeholder management stops being work and starts being... kind of fun?
(Yeah, I said it. Stakeholder management is the most fun part of being a PM. Fight me.)
So no, you don't have to trip. You can just share something about your weekend, your family, your pets. Something you care about that opens a window into your life. And if you're lucky, you'll find colleagues & clients who match your weird.
💬 What's one thing you've learned about building trust with stakeholders?