Common Stakeholder Challenges Pt. III: When a Stakeholder Doesn't Want to Be a Stakeholder

There are times when you're not consulting the right stakeholders. There are times when you've got too many stakeholders. And then there are times when you've got stakeholders who don't want any involvement with your content whatsoever. They don't want to be stakeholders.

Here's a look at what happens in that situation and what you can do to solve this problem.

The Reluctant Stakeholder

Audra is a writer in the content department of a software company. It’s moving out of the start-up phase. Part of their content strategy is positioning some senior employees as thought leaders in the space.

As such, Audra has ghostwritten a blog for Des, the head of Development. When content is ghostwritten, the person for whom it’s ghostwritten needs to sign off on it. Audra has been very diligent about following up with Des. Des, on the other hand, hasn’t responded.

She messages him for a fourth time on Slack. “Hi, Des,” she writes. “Hope you’re doing well. I wanted to follow up about the blog post. Have you had a chance to review it yet? It would be great if you could get to it by the 4th—we’re looking to publish it by the 8th.”

A few minutes later, Des writes her back. However, it’s not the response Audra hoped for.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” he replies. “I don’t have time to review it this week.”

Audra confers with her boss via Slack. “Tell him we need him to look at it,” her boss says. “It’s our content review process. We can’t get it published otherwise.”

Audra messages Des again. “Thanks for letting me know. Is there a way you’d be able to squeeze this in? We can’t get it published without your sign-off.”

“No, I can’t squeeze this in,” Des writes. “I have enough to do at this company without reviewing blog posts, too. That’s not part of my job.”

As a result of Des’ unwillingness to review the content, someone else steps in. Audra’s boss makes the decision not to use Des’ name. The published blog post doesn’t get quite the same traction it would have if Des’ name were attached to it.

Solution: Stakeholder Education and Buy-in

The solution to the problem in the last scenario isn’t a quick fix. Organizations need to set expectations from the outset that everyone contributes to the success of content. Sometimes, that success involves reviewing content.

Organizational leadership must set an example. They need to show everyone else that working with the content team to come up with ideas and then review those ideas is part of their job.  

Solving Stakeholder Problems in the Content Review Process

The problems with getting stakeholders involved in the content review process won’t be solved overnight. The right stakeholders have to be involved early in the process, and they have to understand why their input matters. Putting those pieces into place requires an investment of time, effort, and patience. However, it will pay off in the long run with great content that reflects how the organization can help its customers.