#6: The Growth Multiplier — Engaging Stakeholders
A mid-market CEO once shared with me: “I thought we had a great strategy, but when I rolled it out, our investors pushed back, customers didn’t get it, and employees were confused. I realized I hadn’t brought them along.”
That’s the danger of neglecting stakeholder engagement. You can have a strong vision and strategy—but if stakeholders aren’t engaged, execution stalls, trust erodes, and enterprise value slips away.
Why Stakeholder Engagement Matters
Engaging stakeholders isn’t about sending updates or holding quarterly meetings. It’s about authentic connection, two-way dialogue, and creating shared value.
For mid-market CEOs, the list of stakeholders is long: employees, customers, investors, regulators, suppliers, community partners. Each has different needs—but all must be aligned to accelerate growth.
When CEOs engage stakeholders well, three things happen:
- Trust Builds Endurance – Trust is the currency of sustainable growth. Companies that engage stakeholders consistently outperform peers in resilience and reputation.
- Decisions Improve – Broader input surfaces risks and opportunities leaders might miss inside the C-Suite. The result? Smarter, more balanced strategy.
- Alignment Accelerates – When stakeholders share your vision, resistance disappears. Everyone rows in the same direction—and enterprise value compounds.
The Enterprise Value Impact
Research consistently shows that companies with strong stakeholder trust:
- Achieve higher revenue growth.
- Command premium valuations.
- Navigate crises faster and with less reputational damage.
In other words, stakeholder engagement isn’t just a “soft skill.” It’s a hard driver of enterprise value.
The CEO’s Role: Only You Can Do This
Here’s the truth: you can’t delegate stakeholder engagement. Executives, marketing teams, and investor relations can support—but only the CEO embodies the voice, trust, and credibility of the enterprise.
Great CEOs know this. They don’t wait for a crisis to connect. They build an ecosystem of trust long before they need it—so when the stakes are high, stakeholders lean in, not out.
The CEO Call to Action
Ask yourself today:
- Am I engaging stakeholders consistently—or only when I need something from them?
- Do our employees, customers, and investors hear a unified message—and believe in it?
- Have I built authentic trust that will endure under pressure?
If you’re not confident in those answers, it’s time to reset.
Because engaging stakeholders isn’t about obligation—it’s about multiplying your growth potential. And making it happen is one of the six things only you can do.