Are you really getting true buy-in for your initiatives? Or are they are just faking it? Too often we think we have buy-in for an initiative – everyone says the right words – but we come to realize, as we struggle to move forward with our initiative, that we never really had buy-in.
Getting buy-in is not always easy. It doesn’t matter if a directive comes from the top executives; it doesn’t mean there will be buy-in from others. Certainly it helps when the top executives want something done – you have their support after all and that saves you some time; but there is no guarantee that everyone throughout the organization supports the initiative and will participate in bringing it to successful implementation.
To determine if you are getting true buy-in for your initiatives, take the time to talk to folks in the business. Understand their challenges and relate back how the initiative will help them to address those challenges. As you speak with others, watch their body language and their unspoken reactions to what you are saying. If someone is quiet as you are speaking about the initiative, seems unengaged and uninterested, you don’t have buy-in. Assuming a nod of the head means all is OK will not get you the support you need to be successful in your initiative; you must get a true commitment from those around you.
When trying to get buy-in for your initiatives, follow these simple best practices in working to secure others’ commitment to help you achieve success:
- Meet with others who will be impacted by the initiative or whose support you’ll need to provide you data or assistance. Consider small group (for individuals who are champions of the effort) and one-on-one meetings (for those who are more hesitant to support you). Talk about the initiative and the value/benefits of the initiative to the organization and the individuals within the organization. Ask for their input and advice. This enables you to secure their support and buy-in.
- After you have gathered input from others, refine your plan for the initiative and share that with those individuals who have provided input. In this way they can see that you have taken their comments to heart and incorporated their ideas into your plan. This shows you value their input. If you cannot incorporate ideas, explain why you cannot do so. You may be able to work with the individual to fine-tune their input so it can be incorporated, or, maybe you can support them on their own initiative.
- Regularly follow up with people to let them know how things are going. Set up a regular communication plan to share progress, answer questions and generally just check in with them.
- For those individuals that were more hesitant to support you – you might choose to set up a more frequent communication plan (but don’t overdo it!) in order to keep them engaged.
If you feel that individuals are just not committing, step back and take the time to understand why they cannot support what you are trying to accomplish. Too often we set a schedule for what we want to do and plow ahead regardless. If you need more time to get buy-in and support – take the time! It will be well worth the effort in the long run. I have adjusted many a schedule to spend more time getting buy-in for what I wanted to accomplish and each time the extra time I spent was well worth the effort.
What are you? What are your challenges in getting buy-in – true buy-in – for your initiatives? What’s worked? What hasn’t worked? Share your stories.
