Have you had the dreadful experience of presenting a team project proposal to executive management, only to feel at the end that the importance of the proposal fell on deaf ears?
As a team leader and director of a function or a team, you are probably passionate about your work. The value of your groups work is obvious to you. Heres the rub: its not obvious to the people you may be trying to influence. This is particularly true if you are in a function or area that spends money rather than generating it.
I have worked with a number of change leaders over the past 10 years. Because the area of gaining executive support is such a common concern, I interviewed several leaders in both private industry and the public sector to find out what they feel is necessary to a great proposal. One thing the executives agreed on is this, many presentations they have listened to fail to articulate the return on investment the company will realize as a result of taking action on the proposal.
It is a common mistake for group leaders to leave out a thorough analysis of how their teams work has a positive influence over the bottom line of the company. However, they are still confused and surprised when their projects get little or no funding or support from the senior management of the organization.
Whether you are looking for additional funding or other resources, it is critical that you are able to communicate why senior management should support your group and not the dozens of others that also need support. One leader put it this way: to acquire the support you need, you must communicate why you should be given the support over someone else by showing clearly the benefits you bring to the table. It is critical that you are able to describe what the company will gain out of investing in your initiative.
Uncertain how to communicate the value of your proposal to the executive team? My suggestion is for you and your team to examine each priority and goal and identify the benefit achieving such goals will have on the companys:
Cash Flow Overhead Errors Production cycle Customer satisfaction Client loyalty Ability to recruit top talent Employee engagement Employee satisfaction Brand awareness Stakeholder support Stockholder assurance Capability to meet government regulations Risk mitigation capabilities
If you are still finding it difficult to quantify your bottom line impact, seek out the counsel of senior managers that support your group to find out how they would define the value you bring to the table. It is critical to keep this a key priority and to understand what senior management needs to hear in their terms to understand the value you bring. By keeping this at the center of your entire presentation, you will find more and more support from senior management of your groups initiatives and projects.
As a team leader and director of a function or a team, you are probably passionate about your work. The value of your groups work is obvious to you. Heres the rub: its not obvious to the people you may be trying to influence. This is particularly true if you are in a function or area that spends money rather than generating it.
I have worked with a number of change leaders over the past 10 years. Because the area of gaining executive support is such a common concern, I interviewed several leaders in both private industry and the public sector to find out what they feel is necessary to a great proposal. One thing the executives agreed on is this, many presentations they have listened to fail to articulate the return on investment the company will realize as a result of taking action on the proposal.
It is a common mistake for group leaders to leave out a thorough analysis of how their teams work has a positive influence over the bottom line of the company. However, they are still confused and surprised when their projects get little or no funding or support from the senior management of the organization.
Whether you are looking for additional funding or other resources, it is critical that you are able to communicate why senior management should support your group and not the dozens of others that also need support. One leader put it this way: to acquire the support you need, you must communicate why you should be given the support over someone else by showing clearly the benefits you bring to the table. It is critical that you are able to describe what the company will gain out of investing in your initiative.
Uncertain how to communicate the value of your proposal to the executive team? My suggestion is for you and your team to examine each priority and goal and identify the benefit achieving such goals will have on the companys:
Cash Flow Overhead Errors Production cycle Customer satisfaction Client loyalty Ability to recruit top talent Employee engagement Employee satisfaction Brand awareness Stakeholder support Stockholder assurance Capability to meet government regulations Risk mitigation capabilities
If you are still finding it difficult to quantify your bottom line impact, seek out the counsel of senior managers that support your group to find out how they would define the value you bring to the table. It is critical to keep this a key priority and to understand what senior management needs to hear in their terms to understand the value you bring. By keeping this at the center of your entire presentation, you will find more and more support from senior management of your groups initiatives and projects.
About the Author:
Wendy Mack is a professional mentor, educator, and author with an emphasis on leading and change management. Contact Wendy at, or Download her free e-book, Transforming Anxiety into Energy at www.WendyMack.com.
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