Why Should I? How to Garner Buy-In.

One of the most frustrating aspects of being in human resources is gaining compliance with even the simplest request. People view the policies or procedures you put in place as a way to thwart them or make their jobs more difficult. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” is a saying I hear from executives and employees alike. Even worse is being the person who has to enforce the policies and procedures, even if you didn't write them.

So, how do we get people to follow the rules or use the processes without having to twist their arms?

Gain Buy-In!

I know what you’re thinking. How am I supposed to gain buy-in?!? All I get are arguments when I draft a new policy or implement a new procedure! Well, there are a few ways to go about this, but the most important is…

Get the Buy-In Beforehand

Before a new policy or procedure is put in place, there should be a meeting with upper-management. Not just you and your boss, either (although you should meet with your boss with a summary of the changes for their approval first). Send a meeting request to all of the department heads and attach a topic agenda so they know what will be discussed (typically these are sent as calendar invites using a program like Outlook). Your agenda should include the meeting details (date, time, place, attendees), meeting topic, and an outline of any presentation or report you have prepared. Some agendas have a slot for allotted time and/or presenter name. Most of the people in the room are on tight schedules so use the allotted time, but if it’s not in your agenda template, add it; your audience will appreciate it and it will keep you on schedule.

If anyone responds that they can’t make it to the meeting, reschedule it (or suggest they attend through audio or video conferencing). It’s imperative that everyone in top management has a presence in the meeting so they can voice any objections or suggestions. If anyone responds stating they do not wish to attend or tell you to have the meeting without them, ask them to acknowledge that they are accepting any decisions that will be made and will be expected to support any resulting changes.

Once everyone has accepted your invitation (or acknowledges their acceptance), start practicing your presentation. While you’re reviewing the presentation, try to predict the arguments, objections, or suggestions you might receive so you can plan your responses. If you can anticipate your audience’s reactions and have immediate answers to any questions you will gain more traction. If there are any questions or objections you haven’t anticipated, don’t rattle off an answer unless you’re absolutely positive of its accuracy. There’s nothing worse than having to go back and correct yourself. It’s damaging to your reputation. Instead, answer with something noncommittal, like, “That’s a great question, [insert name]; I’ll do some research and let you know,” or, “I’m glad you brought that up, [insert name]; I’ll address your concern as soon as I can, but I need to do some fact finding first. I don’t want you to make a decision without all of the information.”

Once everyone in the room is satisfied that all of the concerns are addressed and agree unanimously on any changes being made, you should repeat back the decision as you understand it so there is no confusion or misinterpretation as to what was agreed upon. Then thank them for their time and let them know you will be sending a draft of the document for approval.

Keep in mind, sometimes these types of meetings are more organic; objections can turn into tangents or gripe sessions about why so-and-so is this-and-that. You may hear a list of all the reasons people hate HR. If you find that things get heated or veer off topic, offer to continue the discussion offline after the meeting then redirect back to the meeting topic. Sometimes it’s helpful if you remind everyone that you’re not there to force anything down their throat; you were hired to keep them informed of the regulatory climate and make recommendations on what the organization can do to maintain compliance.

Then ask if they would like to do your job.

Just kidding. I wanted to make sure you’re paying attention. Besides, I know that many of you have thought it. Just as your business leaders have. Which leads me to my next approach.

Do Their Jobs

No, don’t ask for a transfer. I’m not talking about a career change. What I’m talking about is shadowing leaders within your organization to gain a better understanding of their roles. If shadowing your COO isn’t possible, ask to shadow one of their VPs (or managers) and let them know why by explaining the reason behind your request. You would like to gain a first-hand understanding of the issues they’re faced with on a daily basis so that you can provide them with solutions that will make their jobs easier. If you don’t know what won’t work, how will you know what will?

If this is something that they absolutely refuse to allow, ask them why. Address their concerns. If it’s a safety issue, tell them you’ll attend any safety training that is required for the role. Maybe they think you’ll be a distraction or ask too many questions. Assure them that you’ll be a silent partner, take notes, and hold off on any questions until you have completed the shadowing. Ask them what it will take for them to agree to it. If they still say no, stop asking and move on; however, you might want to think about their motives for refusing your request. If they don’t trust you, then you can’t do your job. Try to find out why without being too invasive. Some people are distrustful by nature while others require their trust to be earned…and some will never trust you because they have something they’re trying to hide.

Either way, no means no. If you get the same answer from everyone in your leadership team, it’s time to start asking yourself if it’s them or you. If it’s them, then you’re probably in a toxic environment and you already know that. If it’s not them, it must be you…which is a problem that only you can fix and a perfect transition to my final recommended approach.

Gain Trust!

It’s never a good feeling when you come to the realization that your management team doesn't trust your judgment, but don’t despair just yet. There are ways you can replace doubt with confidence, but it will take patience, patience, and more patience. It will also take a good deal of proving yourself, defending your position, and waiting for results that will inspire trust. The first thing you need to do is find out how you lost their trust. Asking your critics why they don’t trust you will sometimes prompt an honest response, but typically you’ll find that people go on the defensive or try to reassure you. If that’s the case, explain why you came to that conclusion. Cite specific examples when they doubted your decision-making abilities and ask them if it was something specific that made them react that way. Sometimes you’ll find that it’s nothing to do with you. Maybe a decision you made had a negative waterfall effect on their business line. Perhaps it’s because of a predecessor in the role you’re in. Whatever the reason, tackle it head-on and take the time to explain your perspective.

Once you've gained some trust, do something unexpected that will build on it. Take their side on something (if they’re right). Look at things from their side. Congratulate them when they do well and ask them what they think about how a new program is doing. Give them a chance to give you some input and thank them for it. They want to be involved and aware of what’s going on and it’s your job to make sure the information is making it to them. Don’t make them pry it out of you. If you keep them up-to-speed and in-the-know they’ll view you more as a partner and less as a bottleneck and they’ll start to trust you. Sometimes things won’t go your way or you’ll get it wrong. Take responsibility, explain what you are going to do to fix any mistakes, and how you plan to avoid the same mistake in the future. You’ll be amazed at what the phrase, “I was wrong and here’s what I’m going to do to make it right…” will do for your credibility.

There are a number of ways to gain buy-in from leaders. What tactics have you used that worked? What did you do that didn't work? Please share!