Getting Buy-In

Most people understand the importance of getting management buy-in, but many don't know how to go about it and succeeding. Also, many are not aware of how critical it is to get support throughout the organization in order to make things happen. This week, we have assembled some articles and a video that can provide some guidance on the best ways to get buy-in.

No matter what you want to sell to top management, this article can help you do it. (Item #1)     With these five steps, you can implement change and ensure a smooth transition with employees who are on board and will work hard because they want to. (Item #2)     what are the obstacles to implementing a successful organizational resilience plan? (Item #3)    

No matter how good your ideas and plans, without buy-in for them, nothing will happen. (Item #4)     In some cases, getting management on board might be as simple as asking them what would happen if a database containing sales leads was deleted and it couldn't be restored for 24 hours. (Item #5)     Watch this 10-minute video for some insight into how you can help your ideas survive. (Item #6)    

As always, I look forward to hearing about your concerns with regard to business continuity. If there are any topics that you'd like to see covered, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Get the Boss to Buy In

Most managers struggle to sell their ideas to people at the top. They find it difficult to raise issues to a "strategic" level early in the decision-making process-if they gain entry into such conversations at all. Studies show that senior executives dismiss good ideas from below far too often, largely for this reason: If they don't already perceive an idea's relevance to organizational performance, they don't deem it important enough to merit their attention. Middle managers have to work to alter that perception.
https://hbr.org/2015/01/get-the-boss-to-buy-in

2. Change Is Good. Now, How to Get Employees to Buy In

Change is key in business for remaining relevant and ahead of the curve. But, while managers love change, employees often fear it or fight it. You always can fire an employee if she doesn't get with the program, but that's not good business sense. True leadership demands getting buy-in from those you lead. What's more, doing so can make your job easier.
https://www.shrm.org/publications/hrnews/pages/journalist-shot-at-work.aspx

3. Improving organizational resilience: the real justification for business continuity

To successfully address obstacles to implementing a resilience plan, it is essential to properly understand how the business actually works and who the really influential players are, those whose opinions are sought and listened to. Find out what the real drivers of success are and what top management really worry about. Do not talk to senior management until you know what is important, any lack of company knowledge will ruin your credibility immediately so prepare well before you talk to them.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature1224.html

4. How to Get Real Buy-In For Your Idea

In organizations, there's an ever-present conversation about gaining buy-in. Most of the work in companies is done through influence rather than hierarchy due to corporate team-based structures, requiring professionals to have considerable skill at getting support for their ideas. After all, you can have a revolutionary idea for your company but without buy-in for it, nothing will happen.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2015/03/16/how-to-get-real-buy-in-for-your-idea/

5. Pitching IT Business Continuity to Management

BCDR technology isn't free, and disasters don't happen every day. So, many executives consider a disaster to be a low-level risk. However, most "disasters" aren't far-reaching, catastrophic events. In other words, a leaky pipe can be a disaster if it's dumping water into a server. Others may assume everything is "all set" since you are performing regular backups. What they fail to realize is that recovery from traditional backups can be time-consuming and the associated downtime can be substantial. If this sounds like your company, the following tips can help get management on board.
http://www.datto.com/blog/pitching-it-business-continuity-to-management

6. How to Stop Good Ideas from Getting Shot Down

This YouTube video is an interview by Harvard Business Review with John Kotter, emeritus professor at Harvard Business School and author of Buy In. In the interview Kotter outlines four common attacks on good ideas and explains the best ways to defend against them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpSI4-ZuegE