5 Stakeholder Groups You Must Include as Partners
Be sure to build a trusting and respected relationship with each of these groups in order to work as a strategic business partner.
If you are an L&D leader working towards becoming a more strategic business partner, it's likely you are already developing trusted relationships with stakeholders throughout the business. It's no secret that a solid relationship with the right people is one of the most important factors in moving away from working as an order taker and towards working as a strategic business partner. But have you included all of the relevant groups in that mix?
There are five main groups across the organization crucial to your success as an L&D leader working as a strategic business partner:
GROUP #1: Your L&D Team
You can't do this work alone and therefore; you need to start at your own front door. Your team is a critical piece of working strategically. It's imperative that everyone in L&D has a clear vision of the strategy and the plan to achieve it. They must also have a solid understanding of how they best contribute to that strategy utilizing their strengths and expertise. Bring them in, share the vision, ask for their input, learn their strengths, and approach the work as a strong collaborative team. Note: If you have an organizational structure where there are separate groups of L&D team members throughout the organization/at different locations, consider ALL of them to be part of your greater team. If they don't act like a team, start working to make it so.
GROUP #2: Your Boss
While not a "group" per se, this person is incredibly important to supporting, advocating for, and empowering you in the work you are doing. Be sure this person understands the vision for L&D to work as a strategic business partner as well as why it is important to the greater organization. This is especially important if they don't come from L&D or a related professional background. This person will often need to advocate for you in the circles where you do not sit, removing barriers and roadblocks as needed. Communicate vision and progress often with this person in the method that they prefer so they are equipped for their next conversation, are clear on the work you are doing, and won't be caught off guard with questions from stakeholders.
GROUP #3: HR Business Partners (HRBPs)
If you have an HRBP model in your organization, this is one partnership that will accelerate the work (and the impact) for everyone. Especially in larger organizations, there simply isn't enough time available for L&D leaders and teams to meet regularly with all leaders and keep their fingers on the pulse of each team's challenges and needs. Enter the HRBP. If this partnership is solid, you will have a clear understanding of where each can have the biggest impact and can be each other's voice when talking with stakeholders. You will include each other in communication and know exactly when to loop each other into the mix, functioning as a right and left-hand. Note: if you don't have HRBPs and/or you are in a smaller organization, aim for the same relationship with the HR team overall.
GROUP #4: Executives/Senior Leaders
This one may seem like a no brainer, but it is absolutely critical that someone, whether it's you, your team's top leader, or an executive that you report to, has a respected relationship with the organization's senior leadership. Ideally, this person will be able to listen to and pick up on this group's top priorities as well as advocate for the involvement of L&D where appropriate. Senior leadership makes decisions on where to invest the organization's time and resources. Your priorities as an L&D leader should be the same as their priorities. This means you need know what these priorities are so that you can determine how the skills and expertise of L&D contribute and be able to tell the story of how L&D initiatives moved the needle.
GROUP #5: Frontline Leaders/Managers
While senior leadership determines large scale investments and strategic moves, this is the group that executes. As the "boots on the ground," they experience the challenges and successes firsthand. They and their teams are also the ones most likely to benefit from the work of L&D. Therefore, understanding what it is like to sit in their seat, complete with the pressures and data they must provide, is critical to providing solutions that work for all employees. Ensure you are building solid partnerships with this group.
Of course, there are other groups in the organization that will be helpful to have in your corner, mainly for tactical reasons. Those include marketing/communications, legal, IT, etc. But the five groups above are the crux of how you will work as a strategic business partner. It is critical that you work to form partnerships with each of them.
