How can you navigate conflicting opinions between your team and external stakeholders in a project?

To navigate conflicting opinions effectively, start by understanding the perspectives of both your team and external stakeholders. Engage in active listening and encourage everyone to express their concerns and suggestions. Comprehend the motivations behind their words to fully grasp their viewpoints. By acknowledging each perspective's validity, you foster an atmosphere of trust, facilitating collaborative solution development. Remember, the goal is not to win an argument but to find a path that aligns with the project's objectives while respecting everyone's interests. This approach enhances teamwork and promotes a unified effort towards success.

🤝 Balancing Team and External Stakeholder Input 🌍 Drawing from my experience in the United Nations Fellowship, I've learned that while external stakeholder opinions are crucial, prioritizing your team's perspectives is paramount for two key reasons: experience and implementation. Your team possesses extensive knowledge and dedication to addressing the issue at hand, both internally and externally, which stakeholders may not fully grasp. Moreover, favoring external stakeholders over your team can lead to unnecessary friction, hindering project progress. Team collaboration remains crucial to navigate issues effectively. Focus on establishing common ground and aligning values to ensure cohesive project management and successful outcomes.

Clear, transparent and consistent communication is crucial to prevent misunderstanding and defuse conflicts. Foster inclusive and collaborative environment to navigate conflicting opinions between your team and external stakeholders. They should feel free to express their views and concerns. Organise meetings and encourage use of various communication channels to keep in touch with each other. They should have no hesitation in seeking clarification. Two way communication can eliminate misunderstanding and build trust.

É importante saber filtrar o que é relevante e o que não é relevante para o objetivo que se deseja alcançar. É muito legal quando a equipe deseja contribuir, mas se você for acatar o que todo mundo diz, quando se trata de um template de e-mail por exemplo, vai ficar frankstein e se perder do objetivo inicial.

Nesse diapasão, por empatia e obrigação do líder ouvir a opinião da sua equipe, sempre falar sobre as dificuldades da atividade. De certo modo o líder tem mais experiência e acervo que seus liderados, sendo assim a dificuldade é sempre encontrada por quem executar a tarefa, por isso sempre devemos reforçar que é muito importante em tudo ter empatia.