Create Buy in for Change? Less ‘Tell’, More ‘Do’

Before we think about how to create buy in for change initiatives, let’s pause for a moment to think about how it’s commonly done.

After deciding on a corporate strategy, companies often begin the task of aligning everyone on that strategy by getting people together, composing an email or sending out a directive. For some companies it may mean holding a briefing with a team build activity afterwards. Or it may be a message that gets filtered through levels of management.

All good and sound ways to get that strategy message out there. But does it create buy in?

If People Know, They Act, Right?

Wrong. Just because someone knows what you’re aiming for doesn’t mean they’re interested in pursuing it. Think about that in your personal life. If you suggest a film, an evening out, or a restaurant it doesn’t mean all your friends will want to go. Even if most do, there may still be the one or two who go along grudgingly.

Now think about that dynamic at work. You’re the manager, you’ve got a great change initiative. You want it to succeed and you know if your staff and colleagues understand its benefits they’d be as excited about it as you are.

So what do you do? You tell them all about it.

The Roles People Take: Change Positions

Of course, there’s some who hear what you’ve got to say and that’s enough to create buy in right away. Those people are your Champions. There are others who’ll sit back and watch how things pan out: the Spectators. Then there’re those who resist your change: the Blockers.

And then there’s the ones who’ll do it because they have to, not because they want to: the Victims. Thing is, just because they have to do it doesn’t mean they’ll do it well. And for your change initiative to work, it will need to be done well.

Create Buy in

People shift and move through those positions during the life of a change initiative all the time. Your challenge, as the person leading that change, is to do things consciously to help them move.

But what to do?

One route that’ll help is allowing people to have some control of the change. Sound scary? If it does, it should.

By creating a way for those implementing your change to find its relevance to them you’ll be allowing your change to become as important to them as it is to you.

And when that happens you not only create buy in, you create a team, a department and a company leading your change with you. Anticipating problems, solving them, and taking pride in what they’re doing.

Implementing Change With Innate Leaders

Our Leadership Mindset Consulting develops leadership at all levels in your organization and helps you create buy in for your change. It may be you’re looking to create a coaching culture, enhance organizational effectiveness or develop creativity and innovation.

Whatever change you’re looking to instigate we’ll work with you to develop a system unique to your business that creates buy in and drives leadership throughout your business.

To find out more, drop us a line and we’ll talk about how Innate Leaders can work with your business.

 

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What to dive deeper?

Check out The Six Attributes of a Leadership Mindset by Joe Britto

create buy-in, implementing change