The other day I was working with a client who is about to roll out a two year strategy for her functional area in the business. She and her team have worked for six months to put together a beautiful plan. It’s incredible -on paper. The program design considers the most current thinking and research in the field. It will set a new course for the company and make them the envy of their competitors. And, if they roll it out the way they say they’re going to do it, there is no question they will fail.

How Do I Know that they Will Fail?

Don’t get me wrong, she’s smart, and it really is a pretty plan. After all, these experienced professionals on her team have thought deeply about the issues – from their own perspective. There is only one item they’ve neglected; but it’s a biggie. They haven’t bothered to have a conversation with the business leaders in their own company who will have to fund and implement the plan.

Yes, that’s right. They are about to go out and present this grand plan to the people who have to live with it, and they’ve left them in the dark about the whole thing. Why? Well one reason might be that they’ve heard it all. They might be afraid they’ll hear objections. They just might not have thought about it.

Meanwhile these business leaders are focused on getting through the next quarter. A two year plan is only relevant if it is going to solve some of their business challenges right now. They can’t even think two to five years out. They have aggressive goals to hit and have to put all their energy into that.

So now, just imagine my client walking into the meeting room with them, opening up her laptop, putting up those PowerPoint slides and smiling that confident smile. She’s thinking, “I’m going to wow them with my brilliance.” They’re thinking, “She hasn’t got a clue.” Of course I convinced her not to do that. We’ve put on the brakes and she’s taking a new tact. She’s going to go out and get their input before she proceeds.

If we hadn’t taken this action, one of two things would have happened.
Either she would have presented the plan, and they would have listened politely and ignored her, or they would have shot her down on the spot. No matter what happened in the room, they would have discounted all that hard work and considered the whole exercise annoying or irrelevant.

Why Most Plans Fail to Win Genuine Support

One of the main reasons people don’t win support from colleagues is because they go to them too late. You see it time and time again. Managers or leaders will go speak to colleagues AFTER they’ve already written up a plan and fallen in love with it. People would like to be considered before you start messing with their business. If you don’t get their highest priorities, then forget about it. They will have no interest in you.

A 90 Day Listening Tour

In Chapter 3 of Motivate Like a CEO, I talk about the importance of going on a 90 day listening tour before you formulate any major proposal. Let me share a quick few tips from that chapter here.

Think of this process as gathering what I call collective wisdom. Nobody knows everything, but collectively everybody knows something, and when you combine it you have gold. All these ideas fall into your lap; you’re rich! And all you had to do was set up meetings, sit down and ask questions.

Yes, you may have some idea where the conversation will go; that’s good, it helps you prepare better questions for the meeting. Just don’t create your plan before you get input, or you will miss the gems that will make it work for the rest of the business. Say little or nothing about what you have in mind, except in a general way, until you’ve really listened. You can test a hypothesis but not get too attached to anything until you have heard what others say with an open mind.

This only works if really open up your mind to what others have to say. And don’t forget every constituency. Of course you want the input of the CEO, senior team, business leaders, key stakeholders, board of directors, colleagues; but who else could either stop your or help you? Put them into the mix.

If you do this well, other people will write 80 percent of your plan; the rest will be born out of your knowledge, experience, research and intuition. Collective wisdom is magical. The more people you include, the more you hear, the more patterns emerge and the more you’ll be inspired. Ideas bubble up, you sort through clutter, issues become clear, and what emerges is a big exciting idea.

The selling part, winning support, is easy now, because you have a plan based on collective wisdom, and, those who will fund it or enact it are engaged. Maybe everyone won’t agree; you won’t follow their precise recommendations, but they’ll recall that you involved them.

Here are 5 more tips on how to win support for your ideas:

1. Set a reasonable timetable for developing your plan. It may take days or weeks to set up the meetings with all the stakeholders and gather their feedback. Everyone is busy, but let them know that it is important to you and it is a priority. In your call or email, explain why it matters to them, too. “I’m interested in speaking with you about a plan that will have a real impact on your business this year, and really would appreciate your thoughts and input.” If they get that it is central to their business goals they will be glad to talk with you.

2. Don’t Get Hung Up at the Beginning on Your Own Predispositions or Viewpoint: While you are an expert in your field, it doesn’t make you an expert in all areas of the business. This is especially true if you work in a functional area of the company where your role is to support the businesses. So, listen with an open mind. By going in with a learning mindset you may be surprised and very pleased at the ideas you gather. Later on, you’ll have far more success influencing others to support you because you were open from the start.

3. Build a Strong Interpersonal Connection: The very act of sitting down and asking questions is a powerful way to get to know people. So few people do it that you’ll stand out. Be well organized so that you get through the business and have some time to get to know people personally and professionally. I am always shocked at how little our clients often know about their own colleagues. The personal connection is very important in winning support and becoming a player in your company.

4. Make Your Presentation about Them: People love to see their viewpoint reflected in the presentation. Start by referring to these conversations and make a point to thank people. If you’ve used our Audience Agenda System before, you know how to analyze what they really care about. This exercise will help you organize your presentation with the confidence of knowing you had their interests in mind. Don’t forget to use inclusive language such as we, you and us.

5. Prepare for and Welcome Tough Questions: Just because you have been diligent in gathering collective wisdom, your proposal may not be a slam dunk. Reasonable, intelligent people often disagree. The more at stake in your plan the more likely it is to be controversial. Don’t get all wound up or take it personally when people ask tough questions; it’s actually a buy signal; they are engaged and want to consider the proposal on its merits and make the right call.

The best way to prepare for questions is to get into what I like to call a 180 mindset; think like the people who will be in the room. Write down the questions they would have; the toughest ones first, then write down your answers in bullet point style. Go back to your meeting notes and again consider all viewpoints as you prepare. Practice so you are less defensive and more open to a discussion.