You learn that a key stakeholder is unhappy because they feel left out of communications about a high-visibility project your executive sponsors. What specific steps would you take to repair the relationship, adjust your communication approach, and prevent similar issues in the future?

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VirtualInterview.AI · Accepted Answer

I’d start by reaching out quickly for a 1:1 and owning the miss: “You’re right to feel frustrated, here’s what I should’ve done differently.” Then I’d listen more than I talk and get very concrete: what information do they need, how often, and through which channel. In a similar situation with a $5M product launch, a regional VP felt sidelined. After our conversation, I added them to the core distribution list, scheduled a 20‑minute biweekly sync, and created a simple one-page update that I sent every Friday by 3 p.m. to all impacted stakeholders. Within a month, they were actively championing the project and escalations dropped to zero. To prevent repeats, I built a stakeholder map for all high-visibility projects, with RACI roles and a comms grid (audience, cadence, channel, owner). I review that with my executive at kickoff and adjust as roles or expectations change.

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