What Do Stakeholders Really Think About You and Your L&D Work?
Define stakeholder perceptions based on two key elements placed on a grid.
If you truly want to move from a place where you are taking training orders to one where you work with your stakeholders as a strategic business partner, you need to know how they see you. Your stakeholders' perceptions define how they work with you. You can work to shift these perceptions, but first you need to know what they are.
Do stakeholders see you as the "nice training person." Are you someone whom they give an order for training and expect you to fulfill or are you their partner in solving talent challenges? Do they work with you to improve performance or just for fun?
It's tricky to try and think someone else's thoughts, and never a guarantee that you will be correct. But you can gather a few educated guesses by breaking down two elements related to your work together.
Two Elements to Define Stakeholders Perception of You
Your Respectful Relationship: You don't need to be their BFF, but you do need to respect the work they do. Likewise, they respect your work as well.
Your Robust Knowledge of their Business: You need an understanding of the stakeholder's business. This includes things like their daily pressures, challenges, successes, work cadence, goals, and measured progress. What is it like to sit in their seat?
More often than not, if you have both a solid respectful relationship and robust knowledge of your stakeholders' business, you have a good foundation to become a Strategic Business Partner. The element(s) you lack provide clear direction for improvement.
The Strategic Business Partner Grid
We can combine these two elements using a tool called the Strategic Business Partner Grid and then separate them into four quadrants.
Use the tool by placing each individual stakeholder on the Grid based on the combination of elements. Doing so provides a bit of insight into how that stakeholder might see you. Once you know where you stand, you can work to improve whichever element is lacking. Think of it as the "You Are Here" marker.
Quadrants Defined
Here's a brief description of each of the four quadrants of the Strategic Business Partner Grid:
The Notetaker: If you lack a respectful relationship with a stakeholder and don't know much about their business, chances are they see you as a notetaker. Someone who comes to their door while they dictate their needs and expect you to deliver.
The Instructor: If you are super knowledgeable about the business, but lacking in your respected relationship with a particular stakeholder, you are probably an excellent instructor. This happens frequently with SMEs who turn into trainers. They can talk about an area's products and processes all day, but don't have a relationship with the leaders in that area.
The Friendly Advocate: If you have a great relationship with a stakeholder, but your knowledge of their day-to-day business is lacking, you are smack in the middle of friendly advocate territory. You can talk about how great they are and they can do the same with you, you probably enjoy meeting with them, but they don't see you as anything more than, "the nice L&D person."
The Strategic Business Partner: If you have a respected relationship and robust business knowledge, you have the foundational elements needed to work as a Strategic Business Partner. You'll need to nurture both elements over time.
No One Starts as a Strategic Business Partner
Working as a Strategic Business Partner with each stakeholder is the goal, but I have yet to encounter any stakeholder that starts there. It’s up to us to put in the work to move to that quadrant.
The good news is that if you can place each stakeholder in their appropriate spot on the grid, you will see what you lack and can plan to improve one or both of the elements.
Improve your respected relationship: If your stakeholder sees you as a Notetaker or Instructor, you'll need to improve your respected relationship. Start by meeting just to learn more about them and their role in the business. Schedule short touch base meetings on a regular basis. Be sure to follow through on all promises you make and show that you respect their business goals and work cadence.
Gain robust business knowledge: If your stakeholder sees you as a Friendly Advocate or Notetaker, dive in to learn more about what it's like to sit in that stakeholder's seat. Find out how their work contributes to the overall business strategy, the roles and responsibilities of those on their team, the performance metrics they use to determine success, the challenges they encounter most often, and their goals.
Some ways to find out more about their business include asking questions, reviewing their website and/or intranet site, reviewing onboarding materials to learn what they share with new employees, and asking to see their business reports. Follow up and express your interest by asking questions about what you learn in your research.
One of the keys to moving towards working as a Strategic Business Partner starts with understanding how stakeholders see you right now. You need to find that "You Are Here" marker for each one. Then, you can begin to shift and change your approach.
