How to Get Your Projects Approved by Focusing on Organizational Plans
Senior level support of an initiative is always a key goal of any group manager or project director, in order to ensure success of a project.However, in over 10 years of work with change managers, convincing senior management to approve a proposal continues to be a main source of frustration among group managers.
To try to better understand what senior management needs to support a project, I asked a number of vice presidents and executive vice presidents from both the private and public sector for their advice.I learned there are two things often ignored by team leaders in their presentations.Using these techniques, the chances of gaining the support of senior management will increase substantially.
Expecting Immediate Support
According to several executives I interviewed, team leaders and function heads often mistakenly conclude that one brilliant pitch is enough to gain agreement and buy-in.Unfortunately it is more often the case that executive support is created gradually over time.
One government agency executive I spoke with mentioned that it has taken three to four years to build enough support to gain an increase in congressional funding. He used the example to illustrate the fact that managers need to take a more strategic and long-term perspective. He suggested that managers looking for support should:
1.State clearly the ways that the entire organization will benefit from your plan.
2. Explore your case with peers from other groups/units. Look for ways to align priorities across multiple teams.
3. Preview your case with executives and stakeholders.Listen to their ideas and advice. Make changes.
4.Wait to present your proposal until after you have built a strong case and obtained initial support for your ideas.
Failing to Be Strategic
This is a crucial point when it comes to gaining support.In most companies, senior management have developed a vision for the years to come and have developed strategic goals to get there.Support for your proposal will be more likely if you can show how it fits in with those strategic goals. Doing this successfully means being able to read between the lines and understand what is important without waiting to be told what to do.
What does it mean to be strategic? In my experience, executives want their directors to:
1. Understand the organization’s overall priorities.
2. Proactively suggest how their team can help the organization achieve its goals.
As Scott Eblin writes in “The Next Level”, you need to spend time with your senior executives up front to ensure that you understand what success means to them.However, at this point it is unlikely that they will provide you with specific goals and constraints that you can input into your project.The goal will be to listen for key objectives, as well as company wide restraints, barriers and obstacles. Absorb what you hear. Discuss it with your managers. Then come back to your executive with specific plans about what your group or function will do and how you will do it.Always be flexible and willing to make adjustments based on feedback you hear from the executive team.
Executive support for a project you feel strongly about may seem as though it is out of your reach, but if you are patient you will be able to build a case that senior management will understand.The objective is to always keep in mind the overall goals of the organization and communicate clearly how your project will help to achieve those goals. Before you know it, your project could become a key factor in the success of the entire company!
Wendy Mack is a professional advisor, trainer, and author with a focus in leading and communicating change. Contact Wendy at, or Download her free e-book, Transforming Anxiety into Energy at www.WendyMack.com
