For years, I worked in Procurement and negotiated deals for colleagues from other parts of the company. For me, the toughest part of my job was always the struggles with my internal stakeholders. 🏢🤷🏻‍♂️

I once had an important stakeholder. A few times, I had "forced" him to accept deals with suppliers he did not prefer, and there was often an unpleasant atmosphere when we were together. 🧗🏼‍♀️🤯

Once, I presented the negotiation results for him with my recommendation to proceed with the leading supplier. His reply was to go with the runner up instead. The commercial difference was not too big, so I thought "let's do it his way" and agreed with him. He looked surprised. After that, our relationship changed, and we went on to do projects in a closer cooperation and with more mutual respect.☀️😊

I learned it is important to invest in ongoing relations with important stakeholders instead of short-lived wins. 🤝

Have you ever been in similar situations?