41.  _______

        Great ideas don’t stand alone. In other words, you can’t mention  your suggestion once and expect it to be adopted. To see a change,  you’ll need to champion your plan and sell its merits. In addition, you  need to be willing to stand up to scrutiny and criticism and be  prepared to explain your innovation in different ways for various  audiences. 

42.   _______

        Sometimes it makes sense to go to your boss first. But other  times, it’s useful to build a coalition among your co-workers or other  stakeholders. When it works, it works great—because you’re ready  for your stubborn supervisor’s pushback with answers like, “Actually,  I connected with a few people in our tech department to discuss how  much time these kinds of website updates would take, and they  suggested they have the bandwidth.” 

        However, just be certain you can explain your end-around  approach as one that built your case, rather than simply circumvented  your manager. The last thing you want is for your boss to feel  embarrassed he wasn’t informed—which could lead him to quash the  idea before it even takes off. 

43.   _______

        One of the biggest barriers to gaining buy-in occurs when the  owner of an idea is viewed as argumentative, defensive, or  close-minded. Because, let’s be honest: No one likes a know-it-all. So,  if people disagree with you, don’t be indignant. Instead, listen to their  concerns fully, try to understand their perspective, and include their  concerns (and possible remedies) in future discussions. 

        So, instead of saying, “Martha, our current slogan is confusing  and should be updated,” you could try, “Martha raises a great point  that our current slogan has a long history for our stakeholders, but I  wonder if we might able to brainstorm a tagline that could build on  that—and be clearer for new customers.” 

44.   _______

        New ideas are the grandchildren of old ones. In other words,  don’t throw old solutions under the bus to make your improvement  stand out. Remember that in light of whatever the problem the old  system solved—or, maybe, has failed to solve in recent memory—it  was a great idea at the time. Appreciating the older contributions as  you suggest future innovations helps bolster the credibility of your  idea. 

45.   _______

        When pitching a new idea, it’s important use the language  of abundance instead of the language of deficit. Instead of saying  what is wrong, broken, or suboptimal, talk about what is right, fixable,  or ideal. For example, try, “I can see lots of applications for this new  approach” rather than, “This innovation is the only way.” Be  optimistic but realistic, and you will stand out. 

        There is rarely value in pointing out a problem without also  offering a solution. Innovation isn’t seeing the problem, it is being  able to see a viable solution to the issue. So, use the steps above to  pitch your new idea—they should help you overcome the barriers to  buy-in so that people will be on board and excited. 

A. Stay positive. 

B. Respect the past, but don’t get stuck there. 

C. Use channels. 

D. Give it time. 

E. Expect (and invite) resistance. 

F. Be a salesman. 

G. Be humble.

41._____

42._____

43._____

44._____

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