Balancing Stakeholders

July 3, 2020

The next discovery in our Unlocking EQ process is balancing stakeholders. Transformational change often requires a coalition of stakeholders that are united by a common good or shared purpose.  Forming and sustaining an effective coalition requires a courageous leader capable of earning the trust and respect of a diverse group of stakeholders.

What do We Mean by Balancing Stakeholders?

Balancing stakeholders is an ongoing, alliance-building process that includes understanding and respecting the aspirations of stakeholders within and outside of your team or organization.      

Bob shares insights about forming stakeholder coalitions.

Benefits of Balancing Stakeholders

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote about achieving the “beloved community.”  It is a term that he used to describe his core belief that increasing cooperation among allies and winning the friendship of opponents would make it possible to live and work together productively.

When we effectively balance stakeholder interests, we achieve the following benefits to our projects, teams and organizations:

  • Better decisions due to candid, high-trust communication
  • Important initiatives keep moving forward
  • Increased ownership, which facilitates smoother implementation
  • Contributions to the growth of an inclusive, collaborative culture

The Bottom Line

“If you want to run fast, run by yourself.  If you want to run far, run together.”

– African Proverb

Tactics to Balance Stakeholders

  • Focus on the relationship: Think of balancing stakeholders as a process and not an event. Invest quality time each day in building high-trust relationships with stakeholders.
  • Have a plan: Map out key stakeholders, and then create a plan for how you will learn what is most important to each of them. Set goals for how you will achieve the desired outcomes, and execute your plan.
  • Keep motives authentic: take a true interest in the wellbeing and ongoing success of all your stakeholders, including yourself.
  • Find common ground: Embrace and leverage healthy conflict by communicating positions on difficult, controversial issues. Earn and build trust by openly sharing the “whys” behind your positions and objectives.
  • Stay inclusive: Move from an “either or” (binary) mindset to an “and” (inclusive) mindset. Practice inclusive problem-solving and build collaborative solutions.
  • Recognize and celebrate collaboration: Thank stakeholders for their engagement and contributions. Look for ways to publicly acknowledge and highlight their achievements.

 

Challenge Question

Going forward, what are some actions you can take to build better relationships with your key stakeholders?

Resources

For further reading, see the following resources:

Magic in the Room #201: Leading from Within

By Emma Holland • June 9, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Chris Province, Hannah Bratterud, and Luke Freeman reflect on six years of conversations and explore a foundational leadership question: why leadership is ultimately an inside game. Drawing on personal growth, facilitation experiences, and organizational leadership lessons, they argue that effective leadership cannot be reduced to frameworks, checklists, or techniques alone, but instead depends on the ongoing work of self-awareness, discernment, courage, and wisdom. They explore the relationship between courage and conviction, the importance of responding rather than reacting, and the role of personal development in creating positive impact for teams, organizations, and communities. The episode presents leadership as a lifelong practice of leading oneself first, emphasizing that meaningful change begins not with external systems, but with the internal work of becoming more intentional, hopeful, and aligned with one’s values.

Magic in the Room #200: How to Lead through Polarities

By Sarah Whitfield • May 5, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke and Hannah explore the concept of polarities. Tensions like purpose and performance, stability and change, or accountability and grace that are often mistaken for problems to solve rather than dynamics to manage. Drawing on insights from Barry Johnson’s work, they explain how these opposing forces are interdependent and must be balanced over time to achieve sustained success. Through practical examples and personal reflections, they show how over-relying on one side of a polarity leads to predictable “shadow sides” such as stagnation, chaos, inefficiency, or burnout, while effective leadership requires recognizing where you are on the cycle and intentionally recalibrating. The episode emphasizes that many recurring organizational frustrations are not failures, but signals of imbalance, and offers a more nuanced approach to leadership. One that replaces rigid either/or thinking with flexible both/and awareness to improve decision-making, team dynamics, and long-term performance.
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