Download - Selling your ideas: Giving some wattage to those lightbulbs

Selling Your IdeasGiving Some Wattageto Those Lightbulbs

L I A • VO LU M E 28 , N U M B E R 3 • J U LY/AU G U ST 20 0 8

12

Y

When you want your organization to buy into your ideas, there are two

important things to consider. The first is scanning your organization’s

environment to determine such things as how well each idea fits with

the organization’s goals and what level of support you’ll need from key

people. The second is collecting a set of tactics you can use to begin

communicating and implementing your ideas. Doing these two things

will improve your chances of accomplishing your objective—solving a

problem or making an improvement for the benefit of everyone.

by Haro ld Schar la tt

ou’ve got an idea that youwant to sell to your organization.Maybe it’s a project you want to bein charge of. Or maybe it’s a pieceof a bigger project you want tomove forward. It could be animprovement on an existing processor just something you believe willmake your group, team, or organiza-tion function better. You want othersto understand and endorse your ideabefore you take it public and risk afalse start.

If you don’t have a strategy forselling your idea, you face severalrisks. You may not be able toaccomplish your objective: the prob-

lem may not be solved or theimprovement not made. Others mayperceive you as ineffective andunable to follow through. Yourdirect reports may lose confidencein you.

If you want to be successful ingetting others to consider and adoptyour ideas, there are two importantthings to consider. The first is con-ducting a scan of your organization’senvironment: this clarifies your situ-ation in relation to the people youhave to influence as part of sellingyour ideas. The second is collectingtactics you can employ when youbegin trying to sell your ideas.

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PLAN FOR SUCCESS

By assessing your organizationalenvironment, you lay the ground-work for success in getting yourideas accepted and implemented.Here are some questions to considerin this assessment process:

How does your idea fit with theorganization’s goals? Your organi-zation’s explicit goals are recorded(and ideally, well communicated).You can find evidence of these goalsin the organization’s vision and mis-sion statements, its strategic objec-tives, and its structure. The implicitgoals of the organization are oftenless visible. The more closely youcan align your idea with the organi-zation’s spoken and unspoken goals,the better the chance you will haveof getting your idea accepted andimplemented.

For example, let’s assume thatyour organization places a highvalue on teamwork across its divi-sions. That’s a goal it states in itsworking principles and a practicethat managers throughout the organ-ization strive to achieve. If you tieyour idea to a sense of teamworkand can present it as supporting andenabling that goal, there’s a goodchance that people will support youridea. However, if your idea goesagainst any of the organization’swritten or unwritten goals, objec-tives, or values or against the grainof common practice, it will be diffi-cult if not impossible to obtain sup-port for that idea. People have tosee the potential benefits of an idearight away, and one way to helpthem do so is to align your ideawith what they want to achieve.

What is your (and your group’s)position in the organization’s hier-archy? To make this assessment,you’ll need to go beyond the officialorganizational chart and becomeaware of the unwritten peckingorder—the informal power struc-

ture, which is often very differentfrom the formal relationships shownon the organizational chart.Consider your organization. Doesthe salesforce drive the organiza-tion’s work, or is the finance groupor the marketing group the driver?Is production the driving force, or isit the number of grants the organiza-tion receives? What about innova-tion, research, and development?

Are those functions at the heart ofthe organization? How are you andyour group positioned in relation tothe driving forces in your organiza-tion? Are you part of them, or doyou work outside those functions?This and similar kinds of relation-ships determine the true hierarchy inyour organization.

For example, if you’re a groupdirector in the manufacturing seg-ment of an organization and youhave an idea for improving a pro-duction process, you may realizethat you need support from thefinance group to procure the newequipment your improvement

requires. You may also know thatfinancials drive many of the organi-zation’s decisions. Therefore in thetrue hierarchy, even though on theorganizational chart you have thesame title as a group director infinance, you are really not at thesame level as that director. This isthe kind of relationship you need toassess and consider. You want todetermine where you and yourgroup are positioned in the structurethat reflects how things actuallywork in the organization.

How much support do you needfrom key people in key groups?Among the groups you have identi-fied as important in the organiza-tion’s true hierarchy will be peoplewho must to some degree endorseyour idea. You will need to deter-mine those degrees of support. Fromsome group leaders you will needonly an OK or a mutual understand-ing of your idea. From other groupleaders you may need a willingnessto help, and you may want to mea-sure the degree to which they can behelpful and the kind of help theycan provide. For example, you maywant some groups to shareresources and others to providecommunication support.

To increase your chances of suc-cess in getting your idea adopted,it’s important that you make yourneeds clear to each crucial group.


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Harold Scharlatt is a senior

enterprise associate at CCL.

He holds an M.A. degree

from the State University of

New York and an advanced

certificate in administration

and supervision from Oxford

University.

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

If your idea goes

against any of the

organization’s written

or unwritten goals,

objectives, or values or

against the grain of

common practice, it

will be difficult if not

impossible to obtain

support for that idea.

LIA28_3 8/11/08 12:08 PM Page 13

What’s more, you need to makeyour solicitation for support and thelevel of support you expect espe-cially clear to the leaders in thesegroups. If you need official approvalfrom any of these groups or theirleaders, you may need to make amore formal appeal than you wouldmake if you needed only tacitapproval.

What resources are needed? Justabout any new idea requiresresources to implement. Theresource most needed is oftenmoney, but additional resources mayinclude staff, equipment, access toexpertise, administrative support,and storage. Organizations typically

align their resources with an eyetoward achieving their goals, andaccommodating a new idea mayrequire shifting the existing align-ment.

Also consider which other indi-viduals or groups in the organiza-tion may be competing for the sameresources needed to implement youridea. Compare your idea with theirwork. Think about how to integratethe two so that resources can beshared for mutual benefit.

How committed is your group toyour idea? Before you try to sell anew idea to other parts of the organ-

ization, make sure that people inyour own group support it.Otherwise, somebody in your groupcould sabotage your idea with asimple remark in the hall. Ask forinput and get your group’s supportbefore talking to others in theorganization about your idea. If thepeople in your own group don’tfully support it, your chances ofgarnering external support are dra-matically reduced.

Who in other parts of the organiza-tion may feel threatened by youridea? Despite all the talk aboutflatter organizational structures with more permeable internalboundaries, territorial conflict stillexists in organizations. When youintroduce an idea, some groups orindividuals may feel that you’retreading on their turf and becomedefensive. That creates an obstacleto getting your idea accepted andimplemented.

For example, if you’re the leaderof a product group with an idea formarketing a product and you intro-duce the idea to the marketinggroup leader, she may agree that it’sa great idea. Then she may add,“But that’s really our job.”

“Oh, good,” you say. “So you’regoing to work on it?”

And she replies: “No, we’re notgoing to work on it. We’ve got otherpriorities right now.”

So you say: “I understand. Ithink my group can get to work onit.”

She responds: “No, it’s our job.It’s really our responsibility.”

She is asking you not to imple-ment the idea because it’s hergroup’s responsibility, yet she is notwilling to have her group takeaction. She feels that you’re tread-ing on her group’s territory, and sheis defending that territory.

What is the potential for misinter-pretation? New ideas are often metwith skepticism. Don’t be surprised


if people think you’re introducingyour idea for selfish reasons, suchas getting more authority or power.One way to mitigate such reactionsis to talk to people who are notfamiliar with your idea to see if theythink there’s any way the idea mightbe misinterpreted. Be direct. Afterexplaining your idea and what youwant to do with it, simply ask, “Doyou think anyone could misinterpretmy good intentions here?”Depending on the answers you get,you might need to think about waysto prevent specific misinterpreta-tions. Above all, you want to pres-ent your idea as something that willhelp everybody in the organizationin the long run.

TACTICAL OPTIONSAfter you have scanned the organi-zation and established where youcan find support and where youhave to move carefully to avoidobstacles, you can start to work onactually communicating and imple-menting your idea. Many of the tac-tics for doing so fall under theumbrella of influencing others.Some of these tactics draw on yourskill at building and maintainingrelationships and your ability to cre-ate networks of support, bolsteryour position with allies, and createa reasoned and engaging argumentfor implementing your idea.

The more tactics you have todraw on, the more precise and effec-tive action you can take in differentsituations. Start by building as manyoptions into your tactical repertoireas you can so that when one tacticdoesn’t work or isn’t available in aspecific circumstance, you can drawon another and keep moving for-ward.

Here are some tactics you canuse to sell your idea:

Draw attention to the need oropportunity People will support

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Before you try to sell a

new idea to other parts

of the organization,

make sure that people

in your own group

support it.

LIA28_3 8/11/08 12:08 PM Page 14

your idea only when they realizethat the idea is as important to themas it is to you. One way you caninfluence their view is to drawattention to the need for the idea byclearly describing the problem theidea is designed to remedy.

Another way to influence peopleis to draw attention to an opportu-nity. As with defining a problem,you must make it clear that there isroom for improvement. For exam-ple, a function in your organizationmay operate relatively well, but youcan point to options and opportuni-ties that will increase productivityor streamline operations enough tomake implementing your ideaworthwhile.

Create a favorable perception ofyour idea This doesn’t means put-ting a spin on your idea or present-ing it in a way that isn’t fullyauthentic. An honest, positive pres-entation highlights the reasons youthink your idea will work and whyit is valuable. You should anticipateobjections and refine your idea so itanswers those objections.

Point out that you recognize thatyour idea isn’t perfect. Every ideahas flaws; no one can anticipateevery situation or outcome. But byrecognizing the flaws and acknowl-edging objections, you can buildsupport for your idea. You can comeacross as looking for suggestionsfrom others to overcome the minorflaws that might detract from yourgood idea. You thus create jointownership of the idea, whichincreases your base of support.

Leverage the support you havegiven to others in the past Callingin favors may sound merely transac-tional: I scratched your back, nowyou scratch mine. But effectivelyselling an idea requires you to thinkmore broadly than just quid proquo. Think about the colleagues andpeers you have supported in thepast. Was your support needed

because you had some resource theyneeded to successfully complete aproject? If they had a resource gapand you were able to fill it, then youcould look on their supporting youin return as creating a kind of mutu-al support that balances resourcesfor the benefit of the organization,rather than as a simple trade.

Approach your request with asense of negotiating a win-win sce-nario. Just as you aligned yourresources with others’ projects inthe past, now you are seeking toalign their resources with your proj-ect. Assuming that your past effortshelped others accomplish theirtasks, it’s reasonable to assume thatthey will be open to helping yousucceed as well, especially if youhave done a good job of sharinginformation and promoting youridea as an opportunity or solutionthat needs the support of others inorder to be realized.

Here’s an approach you mightuse: “If you can help me get thisproject done, I think we can worktogether on another project that ismore in line with what your groupneeds to accomplish. Together, wecan do more than we can do on ourown.” Be open to options and sug-gestions, and keep encouraging acollaborative effort.

Start with your most likely alliesOne common perception is that ifyou can sell an idea to your tough-est audience, you can sell it to any-one. That view has some merit, butit’s risky. You’ll be more effectiveand have a better chance of successif you marshal support early. Startwith the people who you believewill be the most enthusiastic aboutyour idea. This tactic does two goodthings. First, if you have difficultyselling your idea to your most likelyallies, you’ll learn that your ideaneeds some work. Second, if yousucceed in selling your idea to oth-ers, they become allies, and you canuse that group of allies as evidence

that you’re building consensus.People find it easier to support ideasthat others already support.

Consider possible adjustmentsBefore you begin presenting youridea to others, think through somealternatives and adaptations you canmake if you encounter resistance.What is your backup position? Howfar can you drop your expectations?It’s important to understand where

your own line of compromise liesand where you can or can’t adaptwithout reducing your idea’s poten-tial effectiveness.

It’s also important to consider theform of your presentation, so thatyou don’t prompt an immediate neg-ative response. People may react toyour style of presentation beforereacting to your idea, and you maylose any chance of gaining theirsupport.

Adjust your idea and your pres-entation proactively, not just inreaction to others. Seek feedback onboth from your allies or from atrusted colleague who can serve as asounding board and play devil’sadvocate.

Time it right Only you can decidethe best time to introduce your idea.Perhaps the groups in your organi-zation are most open to new ideas at


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The more tactics you

have to draw on, the

more precise and

effective action you can

take in different

situations.

LIA28_3 8/11/08 12:08 PM Page 15

the end of a quarter, when they aremaking intermediate plans. If theorganization has an annual strategy-making process, maybe you shouldtime the introduction of your idea tothat cycle.

Timing depends largely on theorganizational climate and whetheryour organization sets out plans atspecific times or is in a continualstrategy-making mind-set. You needto determine how and when peopleare most willing to listen to a newidea—the situation may be different

for every organization and for itsgroups.

You can increase your chances ofsuccess by aligning your idea withother events and ideas in the organi-zation. This requires research onyour part. Find out what othergroups are doing. Ask yourselfwhether your idea can increase theirchances of success or benefit theoutcome of their projects. On alarger scale, familiarize yourselfwith your organization’s strategyand its short-term, intermediate, and

long-term goals. If everyone in theorganization is pursuing a specificgoal, will your idea make that goaleasier to achieve? If you attach youridea to current initiatives thatalready have organizational andindividual support, you may find iteasier to get endorsements andresources.

TREAD CAREFULLYThe following tactics can be veryeffective in selling an idea to yourorganization, but if taken too farthey can be perceived as under-handed or sneaky. It’s important touse them in an ethical way.

Work on a small scale to buildmomentum You may be able to testyour idea without introducing itfully into the organization.

A small-scale implementation ofyour idea will have a smaller impacton the organization if the ideadoesn’t work out as planned. If youcan test your idea in a few differentparts of the organization or with afew different vendors, clients, orcustomers, you can create a recordof accomplishment that you can useto solicit broader support. Testingmay also reveal flaws in your ideathat you can correct and possiblerefinements that might make youridea more appealing to others.

Build in room to negotiate You mayalready know that your organizationwill, for example, cut 10 percent offany resources you request. If youknow that you’re going to have tonegotiate, you may need to providea high estimate of the amount oftime and other resources you’llneed. Then you can be talked down


a bit. What you don’t want to do isto overstate your objectives orexpectations. They have to be clear.

Explain the potential rewards andconsequences People tend to dowhat they get rewarded for. Theymay be thinking, or even saying,“What’s in it for me?” You canexplain the potential rewards—forindividuals, groups, and the organi-zation—of buying into and imple-menting your idea. You can alsoexplain the potential negative conse-quences should your idea not besupported and not come to fruition.

BE PREPAREDSelling an idea to your organizationinvolves two actions. First, you haveto assess how your organization’sclimate and its methods of doingthings will affect the way peoplerespond to your idea, the degree towhich people will support that idea,and what resources you are likely togain for implementing that idea.Second, you need to decide whichtactical approaches you will use toget your idea heard, supported,endorsed, and enacted. The tacticsyou choose will depend largely onhow you adapt your approach fordifferent situations and for differentconstituencies in the organization.

A well-reasoned and engagingimplementation plan is essential formaking the most of any idea. Butbefore the implementation come theselling and the gathering of support.Assessing the environment in whichyour idea will be launched and consid-ering the ways in which you canincrease your idea’s chances of notonly surviving but thriving will prepareyou for a successful campaign.

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Align your idea with

other events and ideas

in the organization. This

requires research on

your part. Find out what

other groups are doing.

LIA28_3 8/11/08 12:08 PM Page 16

Download - Selling your ideas: Giving some wattage to those lightbulbs

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