Here is a process to help get buy-in, one of the most complex challenges that leaders face.
Key Takeaways
- Getting buy-in is a process, not an event—it takes patience, respect, and collaboration.
- Push less, listen more. Involve people early to build ownership and momentum.
- Share credit widely; people support what they help create.
- Follow a structured process—from raising awareness to implementation—for lasting results.
When you want to get buy-in, usually you are advocating for a change. If you have a great idea for a new approach that will make an impact on your team or organization, you might be wondering: how do I get buy in and build support to implement it?
There is a right way and a wrong way to go about trying to implement a change. Let’s take a look at both.
The Way of Resistance
If you are convinced that you are right, you are going to create resistance to the change.
So, the worst thing you can do is start pushing for an outcome, explaining and giving answers. This is a big trap that’s easy to get into. The problem is that in organizational decisions, there’s rarely one right answer. Everyone has an opinion and wants input.
So, if someone asks you a question and you believe you have an answer, the most likely result is that others will perceive you as arrogant. It is better to ask their opinion first and show respect by listening to their ideas and considering their merit. Try to be collaborative and allow others to help improve your ideas. When you bring others into the decision-making process, you get better buy in.
Getting Buy-In Is a Process
Getting buy in is a process that involves high-level leadership skills like collaboration, respect for others, balancing stakeholders, and patience. When you want buy in, usually you are advocating for a change, so getting buy-in falls under the umbrella of managing change. This is one of the most complex leadership challenges that leaders face.
Because of the time needed for success, getting buy-in is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. First, make sure you are committed to the organization and feel the change is important enough to make it worth your time. Organizations are complicated and implementing any change, especially big changes, can take significant time.
You will need to have dedication and enough grit to see the process through. It will take maturity and self-awareness to let others contribute to the idea and share ownership of the idea, all of which will be necessary to gain the buy-in you need and implement a significant change.
The Process for Getting Buy-In
Here is an overview of a typical process that can help you generate enthusiasm in the direction you want to go.
Be sure to complete each step and don’t get ahead of yourself. Each part of the process can take significant time. So, have patience, listen to others, and remain open minded. Prioritize what’s best for the organization and manage your ego to get through the whole process and make a significant impact.
1. Raise Awareness
Begin by raising awareness of the need for change. What is wrong with what we’re doing now? Be sure to engage as wide a group as possible in seeing the need for change. This is a crucial first step. If others don’t see the need to change, keep raising awareness until they do. Certainly, you doom your chances for buy in if you are the lone voice in the room calling for change.
2. Do a Thorough Analysis of the Problems and Opportunities
You may feel in your gut that you have a better way, but gut feelings are not a reason for an organization to change. Do the work to make sure you have data and a solid analysis of the problem and opportunities. Have you considered every option? When you engage others in the process of analyzing problems and generating options, you begin to get some buy in and momentum for change.
3. Develop a Vision
Once there is awareness and a thorough analysis of the problem, it’s time to develop a vision for solutions. So, this is a good time to start asking, “what if…?” By asking a question rather than pushing an answer, you bring people into the decision making process. Their involvement is crucial for buy in and support.
You will get even better buy in if you refine your vision in a way that includes opinions and ideas from others. The more people contribute to the vision, the more they will have a vested interest in moving it forward, which will get buy in. Think of it as a collective vision and give credit to those who have helped you develop it. The more credit you give others, the more they’ll support you and the change you’re advocating.
4. Create a Detailed Plan
After you have done the analysis and developed a vision, now is the time to start creating a detailed plan for implementation. Again, the more people you bring into the process of developing the plan, the more you will get buy in. For example, you can create a committee. Try to bring in the best minds. This is a good time to check with the nay-sayers and those who are resistant. What can they do to make the idea work better? Work collaboratively to get ideas from everyone. The more people involved in the planning, the more you will get buy in from them.
5. Build Wider Support
Once your plan is done, you should have buy in from those you have involved so far. So, you have some momentum, which is a good sign. Now it’s time to build a critical mass of support from outside this inner circle to the widest possible group of stakeholders. Again, as you share your plan, be open to new thoughts, criticisms, obstacles, and concerns. Remember, it’s just a plan and if you can improve it further, you should. Every adjustment you make or adaptation to a new concern that hadn’t surfaced before will improve your ultimate results. Widen your support to build even stronger buy-in.
6. Implement Change
When you have done all this, you are ready to implement your change. You’ve done the work to build buy-in from all the people you need, and you’ve built the support you need.
It’s a long process to get buy in to implement changes. If you’ve taken the time to follow this process, you should be satisfied with the result. You have listened to them and shown respect for their opinions. Not only that, you have included their suggestions and answered their concerns. As a result, you have built wide support. The organization is ready for a successful change.
Keep Learning
Explore more leadership tools that help you gain support and make better decisions:
- A Leadership Guide to Better Decision Making: How to Find the Right Balance to Choose Wisely — A complete guide to how to balance emotions, innovation, and urgency—and what gets in the way—to make better decisions.
- Why Decision Making Is an Emotional Intelligence Skill — Find out how emotions like bias, fear, passion, and others, get in the way of good decisions, and how to manage competing forces to make better decisions.
- Empathy at Work: How Good Leaders Unlock Motivation and Performance
FAQ for How to Get Buy-In
Q: What does getting buy-in mean in leadership?
A: Getting buy-in means building understanding, trust, and commitment from others so they actively support a decision or change. It’s earned through collaboration and respect, not persuasion.
Q: How can I improve my ability to get buy-in?
A: Start by listening. Raise awareness of why change is needed, invite input, and share ownership of the idea. When people see their voices reflected in the plan, they become your strongest allies.
