How would you handle a situation where key stakeholders have opposing views on the project's direction?

One approach I’ve found useful is aligning to a “North Star” tied to corporate objectives and doing a “What must be true to achieve that North Star” exercise . Then discussing opposing views and seeing how they stack up against the “what must be true” list. Often they are unrelated or can be managed. For those that cannot be, I acknowledge that we need to address this but try to gain alignment on things we can move forward on. Progress over perfection!

Nem sempre vamos encontrar nos nossos ambientes de convivência humana pessoas que pensam da mesma forma que nós e ainda bem que é assim, ainda bem que existem os diferentes pontos de vistas e diversas opiniões, porque isso amplia nosso campo de visão e quando temos maturidade para aceitar isso adquirimos uma visão sistêmica para o mundo. Para isso é fundamental desenvolver uma comunicação assertiva, principalmente desenvolver uma escuta ativa e sem preconceitos, para que possa desenvolver uma empatia e conseguir captar o ponto de vista do outro. Para isso é necessário uma maturidade emocional e tomar cuidado com ego para não querer sempre ser o dono da razão e desenvolver um perfil narcisista.

Establish a platform where everyone feels comfortable expressing their views without fear of judgment. Embrace active listening. Identify common ground. Look for areas where stakeholders agree. Encourage creative solutions by involving all stakeholders. Use data to support different perspectives. Provide a clear path for resolving disagreements. Maintain transparency and honesty.

Creating an environment where you can get all the views out in the open and really building an understanding of why people feel the way they do is key. Spending time agreeing and recording the key design principles is also really important and often misunderstood. Spend time here and it will be a key document detailing the North Star and will help with overcoming disagreements later on!

Using data, research, and evidence-based insights, I would present the potential impacts of different directions. This helps in moving the conversation from opinions to facts, making it easier to evaluate the best course of action objectively. Holding and assessing is always better rather than keep running.

Depois de uma escuta ativa e respeitosa pelos pontos de vista diferentes é necessário aprender a negociar com foco de buscar a maior lucratividade e maiores benefícios dentro do projeto discutido. De repente de várias ideias diferenciadas podem surgir um novo insight agregando o melhor de cada um. Importante disso tudo é fortalecer o espírito de equipe e entender que todos lutam pelo mesmo objetivo, o sucesso geral da organização. Quando existe consciência e humildade que ninguém sabe tudo e que juntos podem ir mais longe tudo fica mais forte e mais fácil de encontrar um denominador comum. O mais importante de um time não é apenas um jogador fazer gol mas sim a entrega final deste time. Quando dominamos nosso ego temos mais sucesso.

Totally agreed! Performing a thorough due diligence on the proposed ideas from different stakeholders is the key to ensure that right conclusions can be made, based on the detailed analysis which needs to be backed by data. Sharing this analysis with the stakeholders will help them see beyond their individual preferences and think about what's best for the project as a whole.

After understanding each stakeholder's viewpoint, evaluate the potential impact of their suggestions on the project's success. Analyze how each proposal aligns with the project's objectives, timeline, and available resources objectively. By focusing on facts and likely outcomes, you can share a clear analysis with stakeholders, encouraging them to prioritize the project's overall success over individual preferences. This approach fosters a collaborative mindset aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes.

It's important to assess the potential impact of stakeholders suggested solutions as this is helpful evaulate the different suggestions objectively and be able to appreciate that your suggestion could have a bigger impact. At the same time this will help you as well in determining whether your suggestion is the right solution and if not then it allows for you to reconsider and select an alternative solution.

I would address the situation through the following steps: Arrange a Meeting: Organize a session where all key stakeholders can share their perspectives and concerns. Facilitate Open Dialogue and Active Listening: Create an environment for open discussion, actively listen to ensure everyone feels heard and respected. Summarize Key Points and Identify Common Ground: Recap main points from each side and highlight areas of agreement and shared goals. Guide Towards Compromise and Foster Collaboration: Encourage a discussion to find a balanced solution that aligns with the project's objectives and promotes teamwork for a unified direction.

Facilite o Diálogo Organizo uma reunião com todas as partes interessadas para facilitar um diálogo aberto e construtivo. O objetivo é criar um espaço seguro onde todos possam expressar suas opiniões e ouvir os pontos de vista dos outros.

I’ve found that it’s actually common for people to have different views, opinions, objectives and or motivators. If we all liked the same flavour crisps (chips) then the people at Walkers would have a terribly boring existence! Communication like most things in leadership is our most powerful tool, without it we cannot build consensus, understands each others drivers and come to a common ground that works for everyone. Listening and sometimes being willing to sacrificing some of your standings also help to nurture a successful outcome in my experience.

Leaders propose the solution to any problems by visualising it and addressing it from the beginning. Once that is taken care, the entire process run seamlessly.

Ensuring that the proposed solutions tackle the core issues, are feasible, and align with team objectives is crucial. Providing clear, actionable steps helps to resolve concerns and directs the team toward a unified and productive path forward.

After open dialogue, it's time to propose solutions that incorporate the valid points from each stakeholder's perspective. These solutions should aim to meet the project's goals while addressing the stakeholders' concerns as much as possible. I present these options with rationale and potential benefits, inviting feedback to refine them further. This collaborative approach often leads to innovative ideas that might not have been considered initially. By integrating diverse perspectives and encouraging stakeholder input, I foster a more inclusive and effective problem-solving process.

Discussing and screening the different point of views may lead to identifying valid contributions to the project. In order to avoid ego states clarify how the valid points will have a positive impact on the common objective to the benefit of all stakeholders. Translate the identified contributions into commonly accepted solutions, presenting their expected impact on the project's progress. Quantify as much as possible the expected added value in facts and figures, as a way to gain common acceptance.

Building consensus involves guiding the team toward a unified agreement on proposed solutions. This requires fostering open communication, addressing concerns, and incorporating feedback to ensure everyone is aligned. By cultivating a collaborative atmosphere, leaders can unite the team and solidify commitment to the chosen direction.

A key element to facilitate consensus in a discussion is trust, that is the more one trust each other in the group the more fluid and effective the discussion will be and higher is the chance that all stakeholders will honestly propose their point of view towards the better solution and accept inputs from others to actually commit to the collective decision.,

Identifying common goals is crucial because it shifts the focus from conflicting views to shared objectives. This alignment on mutual interests can serve as a bridge to a consensus, making it easier to explore various solutions that satisfy the key priorities of each stakeholder.

Before you can build consensus, it can be helpful to revisit objectives. First, make sure stakeholders share a clear understanding of the main goals. Then dig into stakeholders' underlying personal motivations. Bring situational awareness and dive into discussions to understand how stakeholders might hold different values about the objectives or be focusing more on personal or departmental goals. With this understanding in mind, you can begin the process of building trust and consensus in a common solution. Dig into aspects like responsibility and accountability to get at the heart of why differing solutions are favored. With these open discussions, hopefully the team can bring transparency and vulnerability to reach a compromise.

Building enduring solutions are likely to always call for a degree of movement from a starting position. That is particularly the case when dealing with complexity or an external environment fraught with a high degree of variety and change. If I have found building consensus is best enabled with small incremental change with consistent and constant observation, feedback, and iteration. It doesn’t always have to align with the Agile methodology but does require agility in problem (re) framing. Governance, power economy and ensuring cross sectional worldviews are represented are typically areas that I have found challenging while focused on delivery.

Instead of stressing over every little detail, taking action is better than waiting for perfection: implementing actions it is a process very subject to feedback and continuos improvement.

Finally, once consensus is reached, it's time to implement the decision. I ensure that the agreed-upon direction is clearly communicated to all relevant parties and that roles and responsibilities are defined. I monitor the implementation closely to address any issues promptly and maintain stakeholder engagement. My leadership in this phase is crucial to demonstrate that the collaborative effort has led to positive action and progress. By overseeing the execution and staying engaged, I reinforce the value of our collective decision-making process and ensure that we achieve our project goals efficiently.

### Implement Decision: 1. Develop an Action Plan: Outline the steps needed to execute the agreed-upon solution, detailing specific tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines. 2. Communicate Clearly: Inform all stakeholders and team members about the decision and the action plan, ensuring everyone understands their roles and expectations. 3.Monitor Progress: Regularly review the progress of the implementation against the action plan using status meetings, reports, and other tools to keep everyone informed and on track.

Decisão de Implementação Depois de alcançar um consenso, tomo uma decisão clara e comunico a todos os envolvidos sobre os próximos passos. É crucial assegurar que todos compreendam e aceitem a decisão final.

Once the consensus is reached, the next step is to deliver. During delivery stage, the constant need to check on the progress and updating the progress is another key aspects in such collaborative work. Having clear goals and structure in all this steps are fundamental to success.

Be prepared to revisit and adjust the plan if new information arises or if the project’s context changes. Flexibility can help in navigating future disagreements more smoothly. Flexibility will make your inputs more considerable, remember that!

When stakeholders have opposing views, start by understanding each side through separate meetings (Engage). Share constructive feedback based on their perspectives and provide relevant data (Educate). Assess if current project management processes need improvement or a more structured framework (Elevate). Schedule regular review meetings with all stakeholders to discuss progress, address concerns, and foster a culture of open communication and continuous improvement (Empower). If the team is remote, consider having them work together from one location to enhance collaboration and unify their direction 👍

One approach I use in this situation is UFO approach- Understand root cause, this is where we get the perspective of all parties. F = focus, we focus on common goals, explore creative solutions proposing win/win scenarios that align with our common goals. O = Open communication, transparency is key as well as effective communication. The communication should be continuous.

Facilitating consensus and progress demands a strategic approach grounded in several key elements Identifying common goals/strengthen decisions with factual data and maintaining open lines of communication to document progress and seek feedback. Regular reviews facilitate adaptable responses to emerging challenges or insights, ultimately ensuring that final decisions align with organizational goals and values

It is critical to have a common goal agreed upon, and understand perspective of each stakeholder with that common goal in mind. Open discussion on each perspective can help ideate and come to some consensus. If there’s any primary or secondary data to support the perspective, that’s needs to be discussed as well. The project lead needs to understand the compromises possible (in terms of budget, timeline, final deliverable etc). The best can be achieved only through discussion, mediation, and consensus from majority of the key stakeholders. A project lead or someone with more authority may have to intervene in case of no collective solution.