Engagement Beats Updates: The Real Key to Stakeholder Success

On one ServiceNow program, I thought we were cruising—tasks were green, milestones were being met, and the dashboard looked perfect.  Then, in a steering committee, a senior stakeholder spoke up: “This isn’t solving the problem we brought you in for.”

That moment hit me hard.  We were delivering outputs, but we hadn’t kept the right people engaged in shaping the outcomes.  The team was communicating at stakeholders instead of engaging with them.

Since then, I’ve learned that true stakeholder engagement isn’t about more status reports—it’s about shared ownership.  For me, that looks like:
✔️ Identifying who’s truly impacted, not just who’s on the org chart.
✔️ Inviting stakeholders into decision-making, not just presentations.
✔️ Listening for what’s not being said in meetings.
✔️ Creating space for the tough conversations about risks and trade-offs.

On later projects, I saw the difference.  Once stakeholders felt heard and included, skepticism turned into advocacy.  Roadblocks started disappearing faster, and adoption was smoother because they weren’t just signing off at the end—they had been part of the journey.

💡 Takeaway: Stakeholder updates may inform, but engagement transforms.  When you build trust and alignment early, the project stops being “your” delivery and starts being our success.  This is how Crossfuze ensures stakeholders are engaged.