You're facing resistance within your organization. How do you rally support for your strategic plans?

Gaining buy-in to invest in people and technology during uncertain economic times is a difficult balancing act. We are going through this right now and I have found *some* success by doing the following; 1) Take a partner - 3rd party/outside perspectives sometimes help to convince others about the opportunity before them 2) Focus on digestible projects one at a time. It's the old elephant analogy - commit to a few easy wins now, prove out the ROI then move forward with the next phase. 3) Craft a crystal-clear narrative. When informing others about things that are outside of their regular day-to-day lives, especially technical things, the story you are telling them has to be easily understood.

The 'why' is very important while building any strategy. Also answering the 'why now' and acknowledging 'why it failed earlier' and what we learnt from it. Answering these questions don't convey weakness but they actually convey strength. These three questions build a sense of maturity and trust in an audience that is absorbing your strategy.

In order to build alignment for a new strategic plan, it is important to invest the time early in the process listening to your key cross-functional partners to understand their priorities and concerns. The input from these partners can shape the language and focus for your strategic plan and allow you to understand and address concerns as the plan is being developed.

Planos estratégicos devem ser resultado de um processo gerado a partir de uma construção coletiva e participativa que envolva os stakeholders da empresa. Isso faz com que todos se sintam engajados e motivados a caminharem para a mesma direção. No caso de entraves e resistência a mudanças, o que é algo natural do ser humano, você deve investir tempo, principalmente na pré-mudança. Atue para entender as razões, quebrando as objeções e demonstrando os benefícios esperados por aquela mudança. Transformar o receio em confiança, potencializará a estratégia e consequentemente aumentará as chances de alcance dos resultados esperados.

So true. Everyone may not be on board and/or may be just ready to shoot the messenger. It's important to meet people where they are rather than just run them over with the message or, equally as ineffective, drag them along with the roll out.

Communication must be a top priority Clarify the Plan: Break down the strategic plan into clear, actionable steps that everyone can understand. Use multiple channels (meetings, emails, presentations) to ensure the message reaches everyone. Share Wins: Regularly communicate progress and small wins to maintain momentum and show that the plan is working. Celebrate milestones to build confidence.

Clear communication rallies support for strategic plans. Ditch jargon for compelling narratives that connect to organizational values. Use tangible examples and data to illustrate benefits. Showcase early wins to build momentum. Be transparent about challenges, framing them as opportunities for collaboration. Create forums for ongoing dialogue. This refines the strategy and builds shared ownership. Remember, you're not just sharing a plan – you're inviting others on a journey of growth. Clear communication transforms resistance into engagement, paving the way for successful implementation.

Une communication claire doit etre suivi par des actions tout aussi claires dont toutes les parties prenantes peuvent d'associer et ne pas oublier sur la communication du feed back des succes ou des echecs

Co-create Solutions: Bring in influential leaders or departments early in the planning process. When stakeholders feel they have a voice in shaping the strategy, they are more invested in its success. Identify Champions: Look for individuals who are enthusiastic about the plan and can act as champions within different departments, helping to influence others and spread positive messaging.

Leveraging influencers is much like seeking input and buy-in from your stakeholders. These individuals have various levels of reach and influence to secure the needed support, internally and externally, and help amplify your strategic plan. Gain access to influencers/stakeholders by involving them in the strategic planning process to foster ownership and buy-in. Actively address concerns and questions raised and provide opportunities for feedback. Create channels for stakeholders to provide input and suggestions, and more importantly, leverage this channel to promote transparency regarding how the feedback is incorporated and used.

In my openion one of the most important actikn to take is: Involving Stakeholders Early: Collaboration: Involve key stakeholders in the planning process from the beginning. Ownership: Encourage their input and sense of ownership.

One way that's worked for me in the past has been to get the senior team to at least agree and align around the key pillars of the strategy, and have these be as data/logic driven as possible. Then, to encourage participation, I've worked with each to agree a 'heatmap' of where their priorities are from which we can agree the how and when their division participates or implements. This allows my team to plan their rollout (as they can never do it all at once everywhere) and it gives the stakeholders a shared sense of ownership as they've helped determine what happens when in their patch.

Bring the vision to life by... - Understanding your people's purpose "what makes them get out of bed each morning? why did they choose to work for your organisation? what goals are they striving to achieve? - Then connect the organisations vision to your people's purpose e.g. "how could the organisation's vision & mission support its people to achieve their goals (rather than the other way round) As the story goes 'during a visit to the NASA Space Centre President Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He walked over to the man and said: “Hi, what are you doing?” The janitor responded: “I'm helping put a man on the moon” If you can connect your vision to your people's purpose they will put 200% into everything that they do!

Its important to focus on 3 things: 1) strategic goals are a destination or a state you want to achieve. Working out how best to get there is the job of the people in your organisation or industry who know their work best - your task is to give them the mandate and incentives to use their skills and experience to define and then deliver the steps towards the goals. 2) storytelling is what will connect people from their current the collective future. 3) Participation is more than just knowing the goals, its about them feeling ownership and mandate to do what it takes to achieve them, while still having the safety and freedom to advocate for shifting the goals if there are good reasons or better goals to aim for.

Here we must provide clear communication: Simplicity: Use clear and concise language. Visual Aids: Employ visuals like charts and diagrams to illustrate complex concepts. Regular Updates: Keep stakeholders informed about progress and changes.

Throughout my career leading strategic initiatives, I've found that reinforcing successes is key to maintaining momentum. After each milestone, I make it a point to share a quick "win story" in our team meetings. These aren't just about numbers - I focus on how our strategy is positively impacting individuals or departments. This approach not only keeps the team motivated but also helps skeptics see tangible benefits. Remember, people rally behind success. By consistently highlighting wins, big and small, you create a positive feedback loop that builds support and drives your strategy forward.