What’s My Value Add?

Have you ever doubted what value you could bring to a client?

Last month, I delivered a training on stakeholder engagement and management with a participant whose stakeholders included very high-profile people and government level decision-makers.

It was my first time facilitating in this kind of environment, and to be honest I felt slightly intimidated at the start. This was someone navigating billion-dollar infrastructure projects, cross-border negotiations, and shifting political priorities. My thought was: As someone that has no experience in this space, what could I contribute here?

However, as the training progressed and we started to dig deeper, underneath it all, the challenges came down to something universal: communication 🗣️.

💡 The breakthrough that stuck with my participant the most came when we mapped his stakeholders through the lens of empathy – identifying what they think, feel, see, and hear. This simple framework opened up a new way of thinking for him, shifting his perspective from viewing personal development as outside his role to recognising it as a powerful tool for anticipating reactions, strengthening relationships, and ultimately driving performance.

#StakeholderEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #EmpathyInBusiness #CommunicationSkills #Facilitation