3.10. LEAD THE STAKEHOLDERS

This chapter started by emphasizing the importance of defining the stakeholders, because not only is project success judged by stakeholder satisfaction, but because every stakeholder makes an essential contribution to the project. As the project manager, you not only need to know who your stakeholders are, you also need to exercise leadership with this diverse group. Since no one knows more about your project than you, it is up to you to lead the project in the right direction. Here are a couple of ways to exercise this leadership:

• Control who becomes a stakeholder. As noted, among functional managers and customers there are always plenty of people anxious to influence your project. However, if you feel that certain people don't have the right to this influence, you need to push back. You can get the support of your sponsor or other stakeholders in this endeavor, but you need to use whatever persuasive skills you have to control who is allowed to influence the project.

• Manage upward. Many of the stakeholders, including your sponsor, functional managers, and some of your customers, will have more formal authority than you do as the project manager. But they need you to lead them. They need you to ask the hard questions, provide reasonable alternatives, confront them with facts, and continually motivate them toward action by your own persistence and enthusiasm.