One habit that builds trust, influence, and visibility in chaotic environments.

Hey Fellow Accelerators,

In this edition of TSCA, we’re unpacking one of the most underrated skills in career growth.

Stakeholder Management.

It’s so simple it’s criminal more people don’t use it. And the best part is it doesn’t require deep technical expertise or years of training and when done right, it solves two of the biggest headaches startup leaders face on a daily basis:

• No Surprises
• Building trust in their teams

So why does stakeholder management matter for your career?

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Why Stakeholder Management Matters for Your Promotion

At its core, stakeholder management is about building relationships with the people who have influence over your opportunities. Whether that’s projects, development paths, leadership chances, or ultimately, pay rises and promotions.

In almost every one of these cases, at least one of these stakeholders needs to be your advocate, actively telling decision-makers you’re the right person for the opportunity. And the rest of them… well they need to know enough about your work to support the decision, or at the very least not block it.

And in startups? The chaos only makes this more important.

Small teams, shifting priorities, and ambitious goals mean leaders are under pressure to deliver yesterday. As a result, they often fall into one of two camps:

• The Micromanager: Can’t let go because the stakes feel too high. You’re given work but not real ownership, and everything cycles back through them. Frustrating, slow, and bad for your confidence.
• The Disengaged Delegator: Hands you a project and vanishes. Total freedom… but with no feedback or direction, you’re left guessing what matters and how success will be judged.

I’ve been in both situations:

• The 10-Day Sprint with No Team: If you’ve read the About Me section of this newsletter, you’ll know that in one of my first startup roles (as a junior developer), I was handed a complete project on day one, due in 11 days, to be presented at an event with over 100 clients. To add to the pressure, my entire team and manager were off on annual leave for the next five days. Whilst this wasn't necessarily a case of my manager not caring, the result was the same: zero guidance, full responsibility, and a very steep learning curve.
• The Micromanaged Lead Role: In one of my most recent roles, I started as team lead just after the company had lost two of our biggest clients. The response from leadership was full-blown micromanagement: every communication, action, and strategy had to be run past them. Add a time-zone gap and an overloaded leadership team, and getting approval became a bottleneck. For the team, it crushed confidence and momentum. For me, it felt like stepping into a management role with both hands tied behind my back and no room to make meaningful changes.

In both cases, I used the following simple framework to take control, and it’s something you can easily use too.

The 3-Part Stakeholder Management Framework

1. Back Yourself: Act Like You Belong

Leaders hired you for a reason. Startups can’t afford passengers so leave imposter syndrome at the door and trust your judgement.

• Remind yourself you were chosen because you can do the job.
• Make small decisions early to build momentum and confidence.
• In high-ambiguity moments, ask clarifying questions but keep moving.

Example: In scenario 1, before my manager disappeared for those five days, I quickly mapped my understanding of the project, outlined a plan, and sent a short message asking for key resources. That single step bought me trust and goodwill for whatever happened next. I ended up completing the project with time to spare.

2. Bias to Action: Move the Work Forward

Startups survive on momentum. Waiting for perfect clarity slows everything… including you.

• If you can test an idea with low risk, do it.
• No easy test? Run a thought experiment: your hypothesis, possible challenges, and a ranked list of solutions.
• Aim to show your thinking and initiative, not just your output.

Example: In that micromanaged lead role, I still acted, and did my job as if I had the freedom, but with one tweak. Before implementing, I’d tag the founders in a Slack message, share my proposed plan and timing, then execute once they gave a quick thumbs up. Within three days, I’d earned enough trust to drop to weekly updates and became the main point of contact for all our remaining clients.

3. Share Proactively: No Surprises, Just Solutions

This is the game-changer. Founders hate surprises, and they love people who “just get shit done.”

• Use a weekly update to key stakeholders. Make it concise, clear, and focused on challenges, proposed solutions, and wins.
• Send ad-hoc updates if something urgent changes.
• Keep it factual, not boastful. “Here’s the situation, here’s what I’m doing, here’s what I need from you (if anything).”

Example: In almost every project, when I hit a critical blocker and have exhausted all the low-hanging fruit, I send a quick Slack update to all key stakeholders, summarising the issue, three possible fixes, and which one I plan to, or am already, moving forward with. It takes five minutes to write but saves hours of back-and-forth. The real win is that it keeps everyone calm and, while I’m asking for feedback, it also proves I can handle problems without letting them spiral.

Why This Framework Works

• It keeps momentum: No more decision paralysis from unclear managers.
• You control the narrative: You decide how your work is seen and understood.
• It advocates your impact: You’re not bragging, you’re keeping people informed, and that visibility fuels career growth.
• It builds trust: Regular, proactive communication makes you the safe pair of hands leaders rely on.
• It increases feedback: You create an open feedback loop instead of waiting for annual reviews promoting constant improvement and growth.

Your Next Step

This week, try it:

• Pick one project.
• Map your plan.
• Send a concise update to all relevant stakeholders before you act.

Small, consistent actions here will put you ahead of peers who only communicate when asked. And over time, you’ll become the person leaders trust with bigger responsibilities… and promotions.

That’s it for this week’s TSCA and remember, getting stakeholder management right doesn’t just help in your current role. The advocates you build now can become future mentors, open doors in other companies, and even shape your entire career trajectory.

Here’s to clarity in the chaos! Until next time…

Hayds & The TSCA Team

We share more ideas, resources, and behind-the-scenes insights across our channels:

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• ​Substack​