One of the biggest frustrations I see in a corporate setting is when great work never gets implemented fully because of poor change management. New and innovative ideas are often overlooked because we rarely give our subject matter experts the framework to socializing their proposal to get buy-in. This is the pain point we need to address to evolve the capability of our experts.
I call this the SME Conundrum; the Subject Matter Expert who is celebrated for their expertise, but then falls short because we’ve never developed them beyond their area of expertise. They have gotten ahead because of their expertise, but no one has taught them how to socialize to get buy-in and move it forward. This is often necessary in a cross-functional environment and tiers of stakeholders who need to be consulted. When we don’t develop these skills in our SMEs, they lose their confidence and become a quiet contributor vs. your next stand out C-Suite Leader.
The Framework to Socialize a Proposal for Buy-In
In a large corporation, I was required to cascade a new initiative through our plant managers and I knew it would be an uphill battle. With so many initiatives happening at once, how was I going to layer on another? Instead of facing glazed eyes and courteous deflection I positioned it in a way that used their language, their pain points and how they could benefit from the work. Once they understood the potential value along with my commitment to partner with them, they soon provided feedback on how it could work. With an evolved framework that made sense to them, I shared it with our senior leadership committee and was able to get it through. The success came because I had socialized in advance with either an advocate (or critic) to evolve how it could work.
Often, when new ideas are presented, leaders may deflect or simply defer because no one wants to go first in approving it. With an advocate in the room who can speak to the benefit, silence or deflection becomes constructive conversation. It then evolves from there and even if there are gaps still to be closed you are seen, heard and respected for facilitating constructive dialog.
In the end, I was able to move the initiative through all the plants. But, it took hard work, not because of the technical details of the initiative. Implementation comes easy. It is the socialization of meeting with stakeholders in advance that is the hard work; but necessary to have a smoother and faster implementation.
Sounds easy? Well, it can be with a framework for which I’m providing a simple tip sheet below:
To hear the rest of the story and details around this process, listen to my upcoming podcast episode which airs Friday April 1st. Here you will hear more of my secrets to a successful proposal.
- Do you have the skills to try this on your next proposal?
- Do you know someone on your team or in other areas of the business that can benefit from learning these tips to be more effective as a leader?
- Would you like to talk to someone about these challenges and glean a few more tips?
I offer a 30 minute complimentary consultation to discuss your unique situation because I simply want to help you and others struggle less. I want everyone who is aware they need to try something new to struggle less and achieve their career goals.
For more information about The Drop In C-Suite Academy (CS) dedicated to the aspiring C-Suite leader, simply register to get on the waitlist, email me or connect with me for a quick chat. I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!
For more resources, you can listen to The Drop In CEO Podcast or check out my book The CEO’s Compass will help you get on track in days not months.
Resources
Good Reads
Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates by Karin Hurt. Karin was my podcast guest this week and her unique perspective to change how you approach problems and move teams is amazing. Please check out her book and also our podcast interview this week to learn more.
Good Music
Soundcritters – Heroic Opportunities – I do hope you listen to this piece if you are an aspiring C-Suite leader who has the right mindset and is seeking the path towards that goal. This is very inspirational as it pushes you forward once you have set your mind to invest in yourself and personal development.
Good Advice
So often we wish our bosses could be different. We often wish to achieve the next level; you’re a supervisor and want to be a manager. However, you can be the person now. You can be who you would want your boss to be. The only thing holding you back is yourself. Start being the boss you want to be remembered by and soon people will gravitate towards you because you are becoming a leader. When you behave like a leader, you become that leader. The title is simply the recognition.
“Be the leader you want your boss to be.”
–Karin Hurt