In my earlier life, I cut my programme manager teeth within the Big 4, where I learned a very important lesson that stakeholder engagement isn’t just about the who and the why, but also the when. I was working within tax technology. Tax applications are rather like fine wines – they don’t travel well – because of the differences in taxation between different countries. However, my team had been tasked with the build and roll-out of a new application right across the 89 countries making up the EMEIA region. But where to even start? The team was UK-based, so working with the UK Tax professionals would look a bit insular (“fog in Channel, continent cut off”) so it was decided instead that the pilot countries would be Germany and the Netherlands.
The idea wasn’t mine – a pity, because it turned out to be pure genius. The prospect of working with German tax professionals was admittedly quite daunting. They had a reputation for being precise and demanding. They would, in the words of our exec sponsor, make us build a Mercedes Benz. Fortunately, the Dutch were there as well, partly to lend a counter-perspective but also to take the edge off of German exactness at moments of tension.
It worked beautifully. The Germans did make us build a Mercedes Benz, and the Dutch made sure we all remained friends. But what happened next was the big lesson in terms of stakeholder engagement, when we took the application wider within EMEIA. We had the various stakeholders mapped, but what we did – and most programmes don’t – is we then walked the map. We figured out the best sequence to approaching the countries by leveraging the social proof: We knew that if Germany and the Netherlands had piloted it, then that would impress most countries, but we could make it even more credible if we approached countries in a specific sequence, building that social proof as we went. The Italian firm for example shared a lot of tech with the Spanish firm, so Spanish buy-in reduced Italian resistance.
The result? Of the 89 countries, 88 adopted the application. Only one did not, but malheuresement I’m not at liberty to say which country that was.
4.
Never underestimate the power of a full English breakfast.
Dedicated to Dick Parkhouse, who passed away last year, well before his time, and who gave me the opportunity to be Number 7. A fabulous teacher and a sad loss.