The 5 Steps To GETTING BUY-IN and DRIVING ACTION in 25 DAYS.

By BRIAN ZEHR
LEADERSHIP ARCHITECT

 

One significant issue I see leaders struggle with today is GETTING PEOPLE TO BUY-IN, JOIN THEM and TAKE ACTION on the vision of the organization. To move forward, all leaders need buy-in from those they lead.

Over the last 25 YEARS, I’ve been working to solve this. I want to tell you about the 5 powerful steps that you can take to GET BUY-IN and DRIVE ACTION.

The Best Part?
With this powerful method you can get results in as little as 25 days.

Let’s Dive In:

5 Steps to GETTING BUY-IN and DRIVING ACTION in 25 DAYS

Step 1: MEET WITH KEY PEOPLE ONE-ON-ONE

One of the most common practices I find leaders doing is this: they call a team meeting and they expect everyone in the room to be on the same page. In group meetings, people come with their own perspective. They tend to focus on their own area of responsibility. As a result, you need to spend a lot of time, listening to and understanding, each different perspective. This leaves precious little time to get anything done. After meetings like this, leaders often feel defeated, as if they weren’t heard. It can be frustrating for any leader if this is their approach. The outcome? They gain little momentum.

I found myself making this same mistake and, as a result, not moving ahead in my leadership. After yet another tragic waste of time, a wise mentor pulled me aside and helped me understand the power of one-on-one meetings. He encouraged me to make time for each person and meet with them individually before the group meeting.

It changed everything.

What I learned was one-on-one conversations enabled me to hear each individual’s concerns and share my ideas with them. By the end of the conversation, we were often on the same page. In the next group meeting, each participant was on the same page, everyone was heard and we could all move forward together.

Step 2: ACKNOWLEDGE OTHERS’ FEEDBACK AND CRITICISM

This seems counterintuitive but it is essential to moving forward and getting the buy-in you are looking for. When you take a look at your idea or the direction you want to go, you need to have other peoples’ eyes looking at it with you. They will give you feedback. Some of it you won’t like that well, but you need it. You need your ideas and direction to improve, so input helps, and you need feedback to get buy-in.

In giving others a voice, you are allowing them to share their wisdom and see that their thoughts and ideas make an impact on and can shape your idea. They will be much more likely to listen to you and be on board with you if they know they have been heard. The truth is, you may be brilliant, but so are the people on your team. Acknowledge them and allow their brilliance to make yours even better.

Here is a great way to engage powerful feedback: Ask them a question that makes you and your idea vulnerable. I know, that’s a little scary, but it will make a huge difference. Try asking one of these questions: What am I missing? What would make this even better? How would you adjust it?

By giving permission for feedback and criticism, you will have instilled confidence in others. They will trust that you will move in a way that they can support.

Step 3: THE WHY OF THE VISION
Knowing why you are heading somewhere is more important than what you are actually doing. Everyone will want to know why, even if they don’t state it.

You will need a clear vision that you can quickly articulate and confidently share. Others will have faith in your vision if you can clearly state what changes need to take place and why. As you share the vision with them, you want them to know what you are doing and why. Show them where things currently are and where they will be with your vision in place. Make sure they understand why this is so important for the organization and why their buy-in is key to its success.

Step 4: ASK PEOPLE TO TRY IT WITH YOU

Sometimes people need to be invited to join you as you go. Often the fear of the unknown keeps people from moving forward. By inviting them and asking them to join you, they can have more confidence in your idea.

One way for people to join you, is to set a short timeframe on the invitation. Ask them to join you for a little while and then revisit the conversation. You will find that they are much more open to the new idea if they have an opportunity to see it first hand and get a feel for how it may go. This can be empowering for them and you because if they have a great experience, they will become one of your biggest advocates.

This may seem like it could take a while, but people will quickly form an opinion of whether they are in support of or against an idea. This quick feedback will give you the perfect opportunity to dialog with them about their criticism or concerns. In so doing, you will continue to build confidence and buy-in with each person. Giving them this opportunity to try it with you moves them toward taking action and inspiring everyone else in your organization, through them and their point of view.

Step 5: CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION

Keep people updated with consistent communication. This allows them to trust you and feel valued in the progress. As I shared before, people who ask for advice are seen as more credible, not less. So, if you need more feedback, don’t hesitate to ask others for their input. Use open-ended questions to gain buy-in from those who support your idea and those who are not in favor.

MOST IMPORTANT: Make sure that you are communicating the same thing – using the same words – each time. Stay consistent in what you say with everyone. Do this so that there is no confusion about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

It is also crucial to check in regularly with your team to make sure you uncover and understand any concerns or the need to clarify confidences to continue moving forward.

Make sure to update everyone – individually and as a group – every few days. In doing so, you will ensure that they are getting the right information and that they will continue to be confident as they drive action together.

That’s it. If you follow the steps above, you should start seeing results within TWENTY FIVE DAYS. This is a system that took me some time to develop and I’m so glad I got to share it with you today. Countless leaders have achieved significant results from the 5 steps, and I can’t wait to hear about yours!

BRIAN ZEHR
LEADERSHIP ARCHITECT
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