How do you handle senior stakeholders who undermine your authority in front of the team?

Stay calm and composed - That's the only way I know and have done . Even at the face of huge anger. Never , ever, forget your professionalism inside a office setup, even if the other person does. I have faced couple such situations myself .And here are my learnings from them 1. Always be data ready 2. If someone is just being a volcano, wrongly , keep your cool , keep calm . Save energy to plan the next strategy. 3. If you are ready with the data, present that immediately at the first break , for others benefit . 4. Do not brook further discussion . Rather, before that data is discussed, Say, lets talk 1-1 and come back when we are better composed to speak in a professional environment :) 5. Take a break to clear your head.

Situations like these mirrors majorly insecure colleagues! Remember, as a manager, you are to be treated with respect. Don't let someone's behavior undermine your authority or create a toxic work environment. Stand up for yourself and your team, and address the issue head-on.Thus I have handled such cases like in these few steps; - Acknowledge the disrespect whilst calm and address it directly by using words like "I" to express your concerns whilst clearly communicating your expectations and limits immediately. - Ask questions to understand their issues, listen actively and respond thoughtfully whilst focusing on the issue not the person - Involve HR to support you and document incidents Finally, reassert your role and responsibilities.

Stay calm and professional. Keep your composure and respond calmly. Reacting emotionally can escalate the situation Address the issue privately. Request a private meeting with the stakeholder to discuss the issue. Explain how their action affects your authority and the team's morale Try to understand their perspective. There might be underlying reasons for their behavior, such as miscommunication or different expectations Set boundaries. Politely but firmly set boundaries for acceptable behavior. Let them know that undermining authority can have negative consequences After the meeting, follow up to ensure that the issue is resolve If the behavior continues, consider involving higher management or HR to mediate and address the issue formally

As a Cyber Security Professional, I conducted thorough risk assessments and proposed security measures. In a key review meeting, a senior manager dismissed my recommendations as unnecessary and overly cautious. Instead of reacting emotionally, I requested a follow-up meeting to present detailed evidence based on NIST CSF guidelines. I focused on demonstrating how these measures aligned with industry standards and would mitigate identified vulnerabilities. This approach led the senior manager to reconsider and acknowledge the validity of my proposals.

Relationship building is crucial to positive team dynamics, productivity and success. At the heart of good relationships is trust. Invest time building trust and credibility with others and between the team members. It will enable the right environment to have open dialogue, give and receive constructive feedback, and host challenging conversations to a positive outcome.

Address the issue privately with the stakeholder as soon as possible. Initiate an open and respectful dialogue to understand their perspective and express your concerns. Use specific examples to illustrate how their actions impacted your authority and the team's dynamics. Aim for a constructive conversation focused on finding solutions.

On a private call, I would be curious about their perspective, listen to them, identify what their pain point is - what is the reason for their opposition. Find out how they think things could work and take them through scenarios of how things may or may not work out. It allows them to work through their doubts and gives you a chance to reassure them/address their concerns. Finally, I would ask them how they can help us get to where we need to be. Make them part of the solution, not the problem. I would then open this concern and how we can address it to the greater team.

Your organisation likely has a set of company values that should drive behaviour. It is your responsibility to hold yourself and others accountable for upholding them. Moreover, it is incumbent upon leadership to ensure they model those values by setting the proper behavioural examples for others to follow. Perform your duties within those boundaries, help others see where they have fallen short of them, and encourage them to rectify it for the team's greater good.

It's very important to know about each other's roles and responsibilities, you can politely ask the stakeholder why it took such action. However, to prevent such from happening, it will be good to reach out to the senior stakeholder about their opinions/views and take a professional stance that you'll going forward take full responsibility in managing your team.

If anyone deals with senior stakeholders undermining their authority, they should define clear boundaries during a private conversation. They should clarify what behaviors are acceptable and highlight how undermining actions can negatively impact team morale and project success. By setting these boundaries, they can prevent future issues and build a more respectful and collaborative working relationship.

Clearly define and communicate your role and responsibilities. Establish boundaries to ensure that everyone understands the limits of their authority. Reinforce these boundaries consistently to prevent future instances of undermining. Setting clear expectations helps maintain a respectful and productive working relationship.

If the issue persists, seek support from higher management or HR. Document instances of undermining behavior and present your case professionally. Having the backing of senior leaders or HR can help address the issue more effectively and provide additional authority to enforce boundaries.

1. Once you are ready with your homework and data, Do 1-1 with everyone present in the meeting. Do not discuss the disturbance. Discuss the data and your PoV that should include their benefit and company's benefit. Answer their questions and doubts. Be very transparent and open . Be flexible to adopt suggestions while keeping your fabric intact . 2. Convert them to your side showing clear benefits to the common goal . Change your original perception as you have to . 3. Respect people by incorporating their viewpoint . 4. Arrange the team meeting again. :)

I look at this positively. If senior stakeholders are directly communicating with my team, it is a sign of me empowering my team and their performance. If the senior stakeholders are communicating something contradictory to my understanding, I would seek to figure out the reasons for the difference and either correct myself or explain the reasoning for my stance to the senior stakeholders so they are better informed. In any case, my objective would be an alignment of goals and understanding between myself, senior stakeholders and my team.

Sometime working with senior stakeholder can we difficult as each one has a different style of working. I try to understand their style of working before I start working with them, this helps me to be prepared. Along with this I connect with the stakeholders in 1-1 setting this builds trust both ways and gives a chance to address the challenges.

Some things I found helpful in adapting my leadership style involves assessing each situation, understanding team dynamics, and flexibly adjusting communication and delegation. By empowering team members, embracing continuous learning, and staying culturally aware, I aim to foster effective collaboration towards achieving organizational success.

Reflect on the situation and identify any areas where you can improve your approach or communication style. Adapt your strategies to prevent similar issues in the future. Continuous self-improvement enhances your leadership skills and resilience in handling challenging situations.

Something I have found helpful during senior stakeholder interactions is the reiteration of intent. Most situations where I have been undermined was due to the stakeholder forming a defensive stance to what I may have been saying. When stakeholders feel that they/ their team/ their processes are being criticized, they often end up being defensive and may end up disrespecting the spokesperson. Providing assurance time and time and clearly stating the intent will enable stakeholders to have a more positive outlook and will reduce the possibility of such situations occurring.

As with most things, there’s a role that allies can play in calling out inappropriate behaviours where an individual feels uncomfortable doing so themselves. I recently received an email that undermined someone’s position in front of their team. The language wasn’t appropriate and it was clear the intention behind the email wasn’t positive. It was something that I couldn’t let pass without addressing with the individual to ensure they were aware of their personal impact, and how that email had been received. Well meaning and carefully delivered feedback can help others keep a check on their own behaviours, but also provide a voice to support others struggling to find theirs.

Cultural understanding when working witj multi_cutlural leadership teams assists and supports in adapting to the situation at hand . Leadership journey is a learning curve that benefits from understanding the organisation culture and also the communication style in which to approach senior leaders . Asserting authority stem in different cultures from different assumptions, values and beliefs specially in front of teams. Knowing how to keep the dialogue in line with cultural norms and navigating the communication styles within an organisation hone leadership skill and turn a challenge into an aopportunity.

At times, you don't even know that you've been undermined. Damn, it is so imp to know what you are authorized for. Clear this at the beginning of the role, project, task any new engagement. I've learned this over the years and still learning. Synonyms to this phenomenon is cornered in group discussing, prioritizing others opinion while discussing project you are leading, unsaid gender, cultural, regional biases that put you in 2nd best to poor performer. Offering projects tasks at the end of the allocation. Doubting your proposals, theories, requests, knowledge when you become proactive and outshine in front of outside team collaboration. But believe me, as you grow, you'll know better which authorities you want & which to let go!

Avoid crowd. It's clear that you need to discuss and resolve the issue with the relevant stakeholder, make sure you take it in a private forum. None of you needs the audience, not even a single person. When it's just the two of you, both of you can be open about it and conduct a fruitful discussion.