Helicopter Stakeholding

Picture this: a high-performing development team suddenly finds themselves under the microscope of a stakeholder who's determined to control their every breath.
Sounds like the beginning of a corporate thriller? Welcome to the reality of modern tech!

The Anatomy of Helicopter Stakeholding
Our stakeholder, let's call it the "Experienced Tiger Tamer Syndrome," comes from an environment where teams genuinely needed constant oversight. Imagine an animal trainer used to working with untrained tigers now trying to apply the same methods to a group of professional circus performers. And yes, they're still carrying a whip and wearing protective gear – just in case.
Working 18-hour days (because someone has to watch the team watching the project), our stakeholder perfectly demonstrates how good intentions can transform into a corporate theatre of the absurd.

The Authority Dance: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
The most fascinating part? Watching attempts to gain authority with the team. It's like trying to impress Michelin-star chefs by explaining how to boil water.
"I know you've done this hundreds of times, but let me explain how to turn on a computer" – that's pretty much how it looks. Each attempt only widens the credibility gap between the stakeholder and the team. The team might even be willing to fake being impressed, but our stakeholder manages to make it so awkward that even basic courtesy becomes a challenge.

Defense Mechanisms in Action
The team, faced with this tsunami of control, responded like any rational organism – they started building a bunker out of documentation. If documents were bricks, they could've built a second office by now.
Every sneeze is now documented with NASA-level precision. "Morning Greeting Protocol, version 2.5.1, with comments and change history" – not a joke, but the harsh reality some teams face.

The Paranoia Waltz
Stakeholder: "I must check every line of code, or everything will fall apart!"
Team: "We'll add three more levels of verification to show how responsible we are!" Result: The project moves at the speed of a frozen snail, but hey, it's under complete control.

What's Really Going On?
Behind the comedy lies serious organizational dysfunction. The stakeholder is likely as scared as the team – ghosts of past project failures haunt them as persistently as they haunt the team. Working 18-hour days isn't so much a sign of workaholism as it is a manifestation of a deep-seated fear of losing control and, consequently, their job.

What Can We Do?
Sure, you could keep building up documentation until it's visible from space.
But there are other options:

1. "The Small Wins Method" Instead of trying to change the entire dynamic at once, start with small, controlled experiments. "Let's try working this way for one week..." sounds less threatening than "We need to completely change our process!"
2. "The Merit Mirror" Regularly reflect team successes in a way that allows the stakeholder to feel their contribution. Yes, it might feel like manipulation, but sometimes people need help saving face to change.
3. "Structured Freedom" Create clear checkpoints and reporting structures, but with room for autonomy in between. Think of it as a playground – the area is bounded, but within it, you can play freely.

The Bitter Truth
Sometimes, no matter how much you dance around the situation, it won't change. In such cases, team leaders need to be ready for tough decisions – up to and including finding ways to reorganize the interaction process or even switching projects.
Because sometimes the only way to win certain games is not to play them at all. Meanwhile, we can take comfort in knowing that somewhere in a parallel universe, there's a company where all stakeholders trust their teams, all processes are perfect, and code writes itself. But that's another story entirely...

In my 20+ years of coaching leaders, I've seen this scenario play out countless times. A successful stakeholder, who previously rescued troubled projects through tight control, joins a high-performing team. They bring their battle scars and hard-earned wisdom – and that's where the trouble often begins. Their past experiences whisper constant warnings, pushing them toward micromanagement. The more they try to establish authority through control, the more it slips through their fingers, like trying to hold water in a clenched fist.

P.S. No stakeholders were harmed in the writing of this article. Though the documentation underwent serious review. Three times.

Questions to Consider

• Have you encountered similar situations in your organization?
• What strategies have worked for you in dealing with over-controlling stakeholders?
• How do you balance maintaining team autonomy with stakeholder needs?

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