Layout Your Strategy Successfully - 90 Days to Gain Support
Transforming and innovating projects often stumble because folks ain't on board, not 'cause the ideas are bad. It's usually because the heads running things can't snag their colleagues' buy-in.
People tend to think, "If my idea's good, they'll back it no problem." But change scares the living daylights out of many. They'll resist your project, maybe 'cause they're fearful of the unknown or they're wondering who else in the company's backing it up. People yearn for social proof, and that's why the first 90 days can make or break your project. If you use those initial days to create a buzz and demonstrate value, you won't struggle to persuade people—they'll jump aboard themselves.
The key to success lies in identifying and utilizing champions: those who believe in what you're doing and are eager to contribute to your triumph.
And that's what I'm gonna break down in this article: how you can use the art of persuasion, influence, and behavioral change to create the right momentum in the first 90 days.
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Phase 1: Laying the Foundation (Days 1-20)
This initial phase isn't about splashing your project all over the place. Instead, it's about understanding the landscape and finding the people who'll help you kick things off. It's like a secret spy mission, where you're listening, learning, and identifying the early adopters who might turn into strategic champions.
1. Start with Discovery
One big blunder leaders make is assuming they already know what their colleagues care about. Instead of busting in with a plan, spend the first few weeks gathering intel.
Begin by mapping out key stakeholders and having individual chats with them. Forget asking for their support; concentrate on learning about their challenges, gripes, and priorities. Find out about their successes, failures, and definitions of success for your project.
This isn't just info-gathering; it's about building trust. During the conversation, they should sense that you genuinely care about 'em. Cialdini's Reciprocity rule says folks tend to return favors to those who've shown them kindness, so by displaying a genuine interest in their achievements, they're likely to reciprocate by caring about your success.
2. Identify Early Adopters
These chats'll help you spot early adopters, the folks who ain't skeptical about your project and are ready to get involved. Among these early adopters, you'll find your very first champions.
As you review interviews, keep an eye out for people:
- Asking Rich, Insightful Questions
- Frustrated with the Status Quo
- Convinced of the Need for Change
- Already Actively Seeking Solutions
- Experimenting with New Approaches
- Having Resources and Time to Contribute to the Project
Everett Rogers' research on the Diffusion of Innovation shows that you need innovators and early adopters who jump on new ideas without needing much social proof. These innovators and early adopters make up around 16% of an organization, but they can serve as a bridge to the rest of the company.
If you don't manage to find early adopters, it's hard to generate momentum in your project.
At the software company Intuit, Kaaren Hanson drove the Design4Delight (D4D) initiative by rallying a group of Innovation Catalysts who helped managers work on different projects across the company.
Champions who back an idea early on have played a lead role in every successful innovation and transformation project I've been part of.
3. Double Down on Champions
Once you've ID'd your champions, get closer to 'em. Hold deeper chats with these folks. Find out what floats their boat, what concerns they've got, and how they might benefit from early involvement.
Make your champions feel like VIPs!
Share with them your initial thoughts on the project and ask for their honest critique. Share how you're using their feedback to shape the project in follow-up conversations.
Giving your champions a role in shaping and co-creating the project will give 'em a sense of ownership. Research on the IKEA Effect shows that people put a high value on things they've had a hand in creating, which is true whether we're talking about furniture or organizations. When employees join forces to forge their own learning and development plans, they're more invested in the end result.
Phase 2: Show and Tell (Days 21-70)
Now that you've set the groundwork, it's time to get cracking. The next 50 days need to focus on showing tangible evidence that your project is gonna produce sweet results. Close collaboration with your champions, early wins, and exciting storytelling are the name of the game.
1. Get Early Wins
Most projects live on PowerPoint slides. Folks pounding the table to push their ideas spend their days jumping from office to office, while their colleagues burn with questions and doubts. But what people really wanna see is concrete evidence of success.
Collaborate with your champions to create a win that genuinely addresses a real problem for the company.
Rather than chase disruptive solutions, aim for something comfortable that can generate quick wins. Samsung's innovation team, for instance, nailed their first win by addressing a tiny (but painful) issue for a senior manager. Not only did the senior manager throw their support behind the team, but they also boosted the crew's credibility across the company.
You're aiming for social proof, which is another aspect of Cialdini's theory of persuasion. We're more inclined to adopt change when we see others reaping the benefits. So, for your win:
- Be Visible: Let people see the impact
- Be Valuable: Solve a real business challenge
- Be Verifiable: Measure success, quantify the impact
Once you've got that victory under your belt, go nuts celebrating—in public!
2. Tell Your Story
When you share your successes with the biz, lead with a narrative, not hard facts and data. Stories are powerful, 'cause they help folks make sense of stuff and absorb information more deeply. Part of winning people over is getting 'em to develop an emotional connection to your project.
Stories are compelling when people can see themselves in the narrative.
I get a ton of pushback when I relay examples from other companies to illustrate a point. Someone in the crowd always pipe's up with, "But how's that relevant to us?" When you've got early successes from within the company, that obstacle vanishes. The stories become instantly relatable.
Make your champions the stars of the show!
Put the spotlight on 'em and not yourself. Have 'em narrate the story of how you helped 'em shine. Edwin Hollander describes how the Idiosyncrasy Credit is earned by displaying loyalty to the gang. When people notice that you play well with others, they're more likely to let you drive change.
3. Refine Your Vision
As you get questions and feedback, use 'em to polish the vision for your project.
It's vital to go beyond seeking help and actively utilize the feedback to engage in reflective reframing. Your refined vision is what you'll now bring to the discussions beyond your early adopters and champions.
Phase 3: Beyond Champions (Days 71-90)
The home stretch in your first 90 days is all about locking down support and preparing for the next phase of your project. This is where you capitalize on the early success and refined vision to attract allies beyond your early adopters and champions. The strategy you develop is the blueprint to scale your project.
1. Identify Your Early Majority
To make any business-wide project thrive, you need to break free from the early adopters. Social scientist Damon Centola's research shows that a wave of change typically takes off when 25% of the population embraces a new idea. What we know from Rogers' research on the Diffusion of Innovation is that innovators and early adopters make up about 16% of the population.
To reach that 25%, you've gotta go beyond the early adopters and work with the early majority.
Look back at the encounters you've had in the last two phases—the discovery interviews to the celebration of early wins.
Which stakeholders appeared to be positive about your project but were a bit hesitant to step in?
Chart each of those stakeholders and trace what you need from 'em. Do you want them to endorse your project, advocate publicly, or actively contribute resources in some way? It's time to broaden our conversation and aim these discussions at them.
2. Expand Your Engagement
Just like you did during the discovery phase, reach out to your early majority stakeholders, schedule meetings with 'em, and invite 'em to join your project. Use your early success stories as social proof but don't be pushy.
Frame the conversation around how they might be able to help. Allow 'em to share their concerns about participation. There may be roadblocks already preventing 'em from contributing, such as other strategic initiatives.
One tactic to encourage people to participate is to start with a small request. This Foot-in-the-door technique works because it lets stakeholders participate without risking too much. As they grow more comfortable with your project, you can then ask for more.
You can put your champions to work helping you with the conversations you're having with this new group of stakeholders. A peer who's experienced success with your project can exert a strong influence on decision-making.
The goal of our expanded engagement is to determine which stakeholders are willing to participate and for those who are still hesitant, the conditions under which they might be convinced to participate. This info will help you create an actionable roadmap.
3. Create an Actionable Roadmap
Reflect on where we are now. In the past 90 days, you've done discovery research, worked with early adopters, made some significant headway, and shared your stories with a broad group of stakeholders. You should have a real feel for your company and a clear idea of how to roll out your project going forward.
It's time to create an actionable roadmap. What'll you focus on first? Which stakeholders are gonna lend a hand with that? How will they be involved? Will there be monthly check-ins? Ongoing reviews? Continued collaboration?
Having a long-term engagement plan will keep stakeholders involved, invested, and committed to the project's continued success. Just remember to set clear milestones to track progress.
The ultimate goal is to propel your project beyond that crucial 25% tipping point. Once you hit that milestone, the momentum becomes easier to sustain.
The Path Forward
By now, you should see a pattern.
The first 90 days aren't about convincing everyone to back your idea. They're about generating buzz.
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
- Start by Listening: Don't sprint towards your project without first taking time to understand the dynamics in your company.
- Momentum trumps good ideas: Successful projects aren't about having amazing ideas—it's all about creating momentum.
- Champions are crucial: Don't forget about identifying and empowering champions to drive that momentum.
- Small successes foster momentum: Don't aim to disrupt—focus on achievable wins that'll garner social proof.
- Promotion over facts: Instead of just presenting facts, use narratives that showcase your champions as heroes.
- Cross the 25% threshold: Beyond champions, engage with the early majority to push your project beyond that crucial tipping point.
Keep in mind that the first 90 days aren't a linear path. Things may not go as planned. Use this article as a compass.
But don't skip the stages!
If you don't have champions, keep working on it until you do.
If you don't have an early win, keep striving for that until you do.
If your story doesn't resonate, keep trying until it does.
Early momentum is the key to winning over the early majority. It's better to take those 90 days to get it right than to rush into things and falter.
- Proper buy-in from stakeholders can be critical for the success of innovation projects, as fear of the unknown or concerns about the project's backing can lead to resistance.
- Success in the initial stages of a project lies in finding and utilizing champions - individuals who are passionate about the project and eager to contribute to its success.
- In the first 90 days of a project, it's important to build momentum by gathering intel on stakeholders, identifying early adopters, and creating tangible evidence of success to generate social proof. This initial phase can help persuade people to support the project without struggle.
