deb coviello Archives | Page 9 of 9

CSA: The Secret to Socializing Your Next Proposal

April 4, 2022

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

Listen and subscribe now

The Three-Part Framework for Commanding Presence in the Workplace

March 10, 2022

Ten years ago, I didn’t have a clue what it meant to have a “presence.” I’d show up, give my stellar presentations and then there was simply crickets. No questions, no dialog and I would return to my desk and continue the work I was paid to do.

Everything changed when I started my own business and realized how presence impacts decision making.

Through trial and error I began to receive feedback at networking events about my message and my “presence.” I followed the breadcrumbs and made connections between what people were saying and what I was doing which was incredibly time consuming, but worth it. I often wondered what a playbook for executive presence would look like.

While I don’t have all the answers, I’ve distilled my process into a three part formula:

Foundation
Physical
Messaging

Foundation

You need to have a well defined “pitch” about who you are, what do you do and what problem you solve. We want people to remember you for this and practice it over and over again. Write it down. Now practice delivering it as a:

10 second pitch
30 second pitch
3 minute detailed pitch

This is the way conversations start so people get to know you. You will learn when the 10 second, 30 second or 3 minutes are relevant so that people know you and want to learn more about you.

When it comes to a presentation, you always go to your foundation and as an example:

Today we are here to discuss the inefficiencies we see in our operations. It’s important to maximize our assets, leverage our resources and be best in class. Through the expertise of my organization, we approach this challenge and apply analytical rigor to find the best solution.

Always use those talking points: maximize our assets, leverage our resources and be best in class. Soon you will be known to be “that person” to go to for help in that area.

Physical

There are a few key traits of physical presence that can help attract the right kind of attention when you walk into a room:

Confidence – show up as confident, even if you’re shaking in your shoes! Find something or someone to ground you and show up confidence.
Technical Competence – know your stuff. Non-negotiable. Practice with a colleague or practice in a mirror.
Strong Posture -whether sitting or standing you need to find your superman or super woman posture that makes you feel incredible.
Voice – deliver with conviction, conciseness and confidence. I’ve often seen women or men when delivering content always end their sentence with an up-tilt note. This infuses doubt into the listener’s ear for which I suggest you practice ending sentences on a down note. I have some great resources for you on how to practice this skill
Appearance: I hesitate to mention this because it’s not about a new hairdo or a new wardrobe. It’s about wearing the clothes and accessories that communicate a confident image and aligned to your messaging. It sometimes takes an external perspective to fine tune how you look physically and what people actually see in you.

Once you have these foundational elements in place, it’s now time to take your information or content and to socialize it for support. Make sure that the content you use to communicate information is in a relatable language, you tell the audience what’s in if for them, you qualify the risk & opportunity in quantifiable terms and you come with your own thoughts and proposals.

This is the culmination of presence; to be seen, heard and respected. You will soon feel yourself being pulled “to the table” more and more; I can promise you.

So how do we bring this all home for you? Let’s review:

1) What do you stand for? What do you want to be known for?

2) Do you physically in all ways convey the message you want to convey both in your voice, delivery and the image people see when I am present?

3) Content is king, not just what you present, but how it is received by your audience.

When these are in alignment, your presence is seen and heard and I promise you will stand out and be respected.

If this makes sense, I’m pleased you can put this to action.

If you’re still wondering how to put this to action, I am offering you the C-Suite Academy as my offer to help aspiring c-suite leaders take control of their careers based on my 25+ years of experience of navigating the system and learning what it takes to get into the c-suite.

For more information about C-Suite Academy (CSA) 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.