Who is Telling the GCC Story?

In Part 1 of this series, I wrote about the shift GCC leaders need to make to move from frustrated experts to strategic partners.

Most GCC leaders I work with understand that shift intellectually. They feel the gap. They know that the GCC story at HQ is incomplete. The work is stronger than the perception. The capability is deeper than the mandate.

And yet the narrative does not change.

More delivery does not change it.

Better metrics do not change it.

Even a flawless year does not change it.

Because here is what I have come to understand through my coaching work.

The narrative about your GCC does not live in just your results. It lives in who is talking about it - your stakeholders.

Most GCC leaders who have been in their role for a while already know their HQ stakeholders well. The matrix below is not about identifying who they are. It is about being deliberate about what you do with each of them to shift the story.

(c) Stakeholder Map

These four type of stakheolders can embellish/reduce the GCC narrative. Here is how to intentionally work with them to elevate it.

The Champion (Your biggest cheerleader)

Donts:

❌ Treat this as a maintenance relationship — warm but passive.

❌ Wait for them to ask before you share something important.

❌ Give them a generic update.

❌ Assume their goodwill alone is enough to shift the room.

Dos

✅ Brief them before key meetings with one sharp insight or proof point

✅ Ask them directly — "Where do I have a perception gap with the broader team?"

✅ Give them language they can naturally use in conversations without it sounding like advocacy.

✅ Invest in this relationship even when there is no immediate agenda.

✅ Share your success, acknowledge and support them in appropriate forums.

The Blocker (Your biggest challenge)

Donts:

❌ Fight them.

❌ Make it personal.

❌ Fake friendship.

Dos

✅ Respect them even if you disagree.

✅ Deliver a major win that cannot be ignored. Make it hard for them to hold their view.

✅ Look for what is important to them and try your level best to connect.

The Ally (The budding advocate)

Donts

❌ Ignore as small fish

Dos

✅ Give them a balcony seat to your capability.

✅ Request offline socialising of what they see as tangible.

✅ Invest in their growth.

The Doubter (Potential threat)

Donts

❌ Ignore

Dos

✅ Acknowledge as devil's advocate to elevate the conversation.

✅ Provide data & insights to fuel their dissonance.

Reflections for GCC leaders on stakeholders:

✓ What is the story each of your stakeholders are currently carrying about your GCC?

✓ What is the story you want them to carry?

✓ What is the one specific change move you could make with each of them in the next 30 days?

#coaching #executivecoaching #GCC #stakeholders