Ep 235 | Getting Buy In Using the "How, Why, and Proof" Framework

Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Let's get into it today. I want to talk a little bit about leadership and about communication, leadership and communication. And I want to do so by addressing a topic that pertains to all of us, which is how to get better buy-in, how to get buy-in to our, to what we believe in, to our vision, to the direction we're headed, to our ideas. Just how do we get support? How do we get buy-in? And the reason I'm talking about this is, well, because my buddy and business partner Ben Kinney, he had just recently shared this message and it really resonated with me, got me thinking, and I thought it'd be worthwhile to share it with you. How to get buy-in. Now getting buy-in involves effectively communicating a number of things, right? We all know that. What do we have to effectively communicate? We've got to effectively communicate the benefits to following our lead, to committing to what it is we're putting out in front of you. So we've got to be able to communicate the benefits. We've got to be able to communicate the rationale. So why should I even buy into what you're saying, Brian? What's the rationale to it? And then lastly, we've got to communicate the evidence, the evidence that supports our particular idea or our decision or our vision. There's a framework to this that Ben described, and that framework is, is the how, why, and proof framework. How, why, and proof framework. And in using this framework, it aids you in securing buy-in. So let's talk about it, right? So how, how is the first part of this framework. How is a, is, is a clear outline of the implementation plan. So how? We got to give them a step-by-step plan. If we're trying to get buy-in, we got to give a step-by-step plan. We've got to outline the practical steps that are involved in the implementation of the idea or the decision. I've got to break it down into what I would, I would perceive to be manageable tasks, things that make it easy for others to in fact understand and follow. So when, when we think about how, we've got to give a step-by-step plan that's easy to follow. Also with respect to how, we've got to highlight the feasibility of things and the simplicity of things. So you've got to emphasize how the plan is actually simple. It's feasible, and it won't actually disrupt your existing workflow or your existing process. If in fact there is concern that it would disrupt, uh, existing workflows. We've got to address any concerns about these potential complications and solve for them, right? So when we think around how, we've really got to highlight the simplicity and the feasibility of things. Lastly, as it pertains to how, we've got to offer support and we've got to offer resources. Explain how you're going to provide support. Explain the resources available or the training necessary for successful implementation, right? So here's how we're going to do it, but here's the support that you get in order to make it happen. Make sure that you assure others that assistance will be available throughout the entire process. So when getting buy-in, first we have to describe how. After that though, we got to describe, describe why. We've got to articulate the purpose and the benefits. What's the why? And what's in it for them? So number 1, as it pertains to why, you got to state the purpose and make it very, very clear. Make sure you articulate the purpose of the goal behind the idea or decision. People want to know why it matters and how it aligns with the broader values or the broader objectives. With respect to why, you've got to emphasize the benefits. Like, why are we doing this? Like, what, how do I benefit? What's in it for me again? Highlight the positive outcomes that are going to result from accepting and implementing this particular idea for buying into where, you know, where it is you're taking us. You've got to consider both short-term and long-term benefits. Lastly, as it pertains to why, address the pain points. Acknowledge any concerns or pain points that others might have and explain how the proposed idea addresses that or mitigates those issues. Okay. So we've covered how, we've covered why. Lastly, in order to get buy-in, there's gotta be proof. You gotta give evidence, you gotta give examples. So share the data, right? That matters. In order to prove, share the data, share the relevant data, give the data, give the stats, give other evidence that support the effectiveness or the success of similar initiatives. The stronger the data, the more concrete the data, the higher the confidence had in it, the more credible that data is. When you're looking for proof, offer up case studies or success stories. Share examples of where the idea or decision, you know, has been successfully implemented elsewhere. Real-world examples are always great, right? They always give tangible proof of success. And lastly, as it pertains to proof, Maybe look to highlight some expert opinions. Who can you reference? Where can you showcase industry best practices or endorsements that support the validity of the idea? This really can help build trust in your proposed solution. So remember, when leading, right, you're aiming to influence the thinking and behavior of others. In order to influence the thinking and behavior of others, you got to get buy-in. If you want buy-in, you've got to use a framework to do so. And the framework we're describing here is the how, why, and proof. How, how are we going to make it happen? Why, what's in it for me? What's the benefit? And proof, where has this been done before? Or why should I buy in to the fact that we're going to be successful? Now, remember to tailor your communication to your audience. Make sure you address your audience's specific concerns and their priorities. Encourage questions. Be prepared to provide, you know, additional information if needed. You gotta build a solid case with a clear plan. You gotta have a compelling rationale, and you have to have supporting evidence. In doing so, you are more likely to gain buy-in. Now using inversion, here's your focusing question today. Where have you failed to get the buy-in that you needed or thought you'd get in order to push forward an objective or a vision of yours in the past? So where did you fail to get the buy-in that you were hoping to get? Think about that right now. If you failed to get buy-in, as you're assessing this, this past failure, what was missing? Did you not do a great job explaining how you're going to make this vision or objective happen? Maybe you failed in why, in explaining the benefits or clearly stating the purpose or addressing the pain points, or maybe you nailed the how and the why, but you didn't support it. You didn't provide proof with evidence or examples. I love this idea of thinking where we should have gotten buy-in and maybe how it didn't work out in our favor, but now analyzing it and figuring out where the breakdown occurred. In doing so, you're now able to correct for that mistake moving forward and get buy-in in future endeavors. In my experience, usually the wobble, usually the area where you were not as clear in like the how, why, or proof, the one area that stands out, it's usually pretty consistent across the board. In other words, It's not like you miss how, or you miss why, or you miss proof. Usually based on who we are and how we behave, we have a tendency to wobble or lean into one area, make a mistake in one area. For me, I actually wobble most in why. I'm really good at explaining how we're going to get there. I'm pretty good at explaining the evidence or the examples that make me believe we're going to be successful. but I don't oftentimes articulate the why or do so appropriately so that it resonates with my audience. So I know that if I want to get buy-in, I have to, I have to put an extra emphasis on the why because that's typically an area that I breeze through. Where's your wobble? What can you do about that today? That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and remember every single day, brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.