At the MADS Conference last October, we gave a presentation in partnership with Lee Enterprises on the work we did to create a Media Mix Model that reflected the unique circumstances that local journalism has to contend with. In the presentation, we talked about how the process involved a lot of sharing work-in-progress. Because we were working with Lee to build something new that was highly specific to their unique needs, we had to be transparent about what we were doing so that we could address problems actively as they arose.
However, when speaking to attendees after the presentation, we heard a lot of people say that they could never show stakeholders work-in-progress that way. The fear that we heard repeated again and again was – if I show them something that isn’t done, they’re going to think that my stuff isn’t good, the time and energy that’s being invested isn’t worth it.
This isn’t an unreasonable fear! While transparency is vital, it’s also true that your stakeholders need to feel like you know what you’re doing. So the question becomes – how do you share partially finished work, and be vulnerable with other departments about your progress? How can sharing your process build confidence, rather than undermine it?
Demonstrate that you understand what they need
At the end of the day, what do your stakeholders care about? They care that your solution to their specific problem fits into their bigger picture goals. Sure, they care about how you do it, but more than anything, they need to know that you understand what their goals are, and that you’re prioritizing them first.
Beginning a conversation with a focus on the bigger picture is a great way to keep your stakeholders from getting too wound up in the elements of the project that aren’t working yet. It demonstrates that you’re not bogged down in a problem – you know where you’re going, and together, you’ll eventually find a way to get there.
One of our favorite questions to ask our clients is: “If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your situation, what would that thing be?” This is a great question because it brings up a lot of information and helps us orient ourselves in our client’s world. Demonstrating that kind of interest at the beginning of a project can help lay a foundation of confidence that can support you as you work toward finding solutions.
Highlight what you can do, before talking about what you can’t yet
The order in which you deliver information makes a massive difference. If you walk into a meeting and immediately info-dump about things that aren’t working, your stakeholders are going to be so focused on that information that they won’t be able to process anything else. And in the worst case scenario, following information about a problem with information about successes might sound like you’re trying to make excuses for the issue.
Instead, share the stuff you’re already doing well first, to gain their confidence in your competence and to help them contextualize the challenges accurately. Starting with what’s working helps stakeholders understand that you do, in fact, have a handle on the situation, before you introduce the element that you’re struggling with.
On that note, depending on the backgrounds of your stakeholders, it can help to save your methods (in essence, the “nerd stuff”) to the latter part of the conversation. Those of us who love data (guilty as charged) tend to get really excited about processes and tools, but discussing what you’re doing before you discuss how you’re doing it reassures your stakeholders that you’re not just flinging numbers around for the sake of it. They know there’s a “so what” and a “now what” in play.
Reveal vulnerabilities to make sure you’re serving their use case
Sharing a challenge is a great opportunity to solicit your client’s expertise in a way that makes it clear that you’re focused on their intended goal. Every industry has unique needs and considerations, and every company is a little world unto itself. Challenges and vulnerabilities can create windows into those specifics, and if you take the chance to examine them further, it can lead to better solutions and a better understanding of your stakeholders. Plus, leveling with them can breed confidence, because it demonstrates that you fully understand what’s going on.
It’s vulnerable to share unfinished work with clients or stakeholders. But at the end of the day, your stakeholders understand the real-world scenario of the problem you’re trying to solve better than anyone else. Being transparent with them and sharing your work in progress is the fastest way to get to a great solution, because you’ll be able to tap into their domain knowledge. Plus, your openness and readiness to understand can actually breed confidence, instead of undermining it.
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How do you share partially finished work, and be vulnerable with other departments about your progress? How can sharing your process build confidence, rather than undermine it?
