Navigating challenging stakeholders is often the biggest hurdle in building a community. It's not about your skills, experience, or resources—it's about managing the dynamics with stakeholders.
Stakeholders are defined as those with an economic interest in your business's success. In the context of brand communities, these are typically internal stakeholders, like executives and department heads, whose interests are tied to the community's success.
In our years building communities we have worked with numerous community managers facing difficult stakeholders. These stakeholders can create roadblocks for community programs, making the journey challenging yet ultimately rewarding.
Let's explore some common types of difficult stakeholders and strategies for working with them:
