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Bring in Support

PEOPLE LISTEN to experts or people in positions of authority (most of the time). Use this phenomenon to your benefit and set up an environment where thought leaders reinforce your message to team members. If your team hears the message from a vice president or an expert, it begins to sink in. So, be wise about how you reinforce your messages with the team. The more often your team members hear a consistent message, the more likely they will understand that what you are saying is important and credible.

Some of you may be thinking that this is nothing new. Well, you’re right—it isn’t! What may be new is that people use their own expertise and don’t look to others for help. And these human resources are often located within your organization. A word of caution here: Don’t select the experts solely based on the fact that they support your position. If you do, employees will see through this approach. Rather, select someone based on his or her intellect, ability to relate to a group, or any number of other variables—but not whether or not they support you. In fact, we have found that some of our clients occasionally bring in an expert who has an opposing view. This kind of juxtaposition of views is helpful in getting all issues on the table. Ultimately, this has a tendency to lessen resistance to change.

While working with a nonprofit organization, we provided this feedback to an organizational leader. The leader complained that she was sick of “being the bad guy.” We suggested that she utilize her resources and ask others (consultants and board members) to help reinforce the message she was trying to communicate whenever possible. This approach not only alleviated pressure on the leader, but it also created an opportunity for people in the organization to hear the thoughts and ideas of others.