02 Strengthen the relationships that matter most

Map key relationships, evaluate their status, and create a plan to boost trust, access, and influence.

When this is needed

  • Stakeholder issues are handled separately, without a clear view of relationships and priorities.

  • Key relationships rely on a few people, with little institutional memory or backup.

  • Leaders disagree about how strong or fragile some relationships are.

  • You want to build influence over time, but efforts are scattered and incomplete.

What SXD does

Working with strategy, external affairs and business leaders, the work typically includes:

  • Identify the few key people or groups who can truly affect your strategy, project, or market.

  • Evaluate those relationships honestly by checking access, trust, alignment, history, and risk - not just recent meetings.

  • Assign clear owners and accountability for each relationship, note gaps, and define shared responsibilities.

  • Create a concise plan for each relationship: the goal, the resources you’ll commit, and the actions you won’t take.

Focus on realistic, targeted engagement - not long lists of activities.

How it works in practice

  1. Scope and focus: We agree on the part of the business or the strategic question to address, so the work stays practical and tied to real decisions.

  2. Relationship and risk mapping: Using current knowledge and targeted conversations, we identify and map the key relationships, risks, and opportunities, then make that map usable for your leadership team.

  3. Plan and cadence: We turn the map into a clear plan that assigns leaders, defines success, and sets a sensible schedule for meetings and reviews.

What changes afterwards

  • Senior leaders clearly know which outside relationships need their time and which do not.

  • Responsibility for key relationships is defined and not tied to personalities or past interactions.

  • Time, travel, and senior focus are used where they will best build trust, access, and influence.

  • Conversations about relationships move from anecdotes (“who talked to them last?”) to goals (“where do we need to be with them in 12–24 months?”).