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What team leader hasnt had the frightful experience of proposing an important team project to senior management, only to come out of the presentation feeling like the executives hadnt fully understood the importance of the initiative?
Passion for their work is a key element to most successful team leaders and group managers. Therefore, it is usually quite obvious to you that your groups work adds value to the overall organization. The sad truth: it is often not quite so clear to the very people you need to convince to support a proposal for additional resources. While difficult for all group leaders, it is unfortunately even more true for those teams in an organization that spend more in their budget than they make.
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.
Frequently, I see team managers fail to assess, describe and explain the ways in which the teams projects positively impact the overall profitability of the organization. And yet, many have no idea why their proposals for additional funding or support are turned down again and again.
Any time you are looking for support (whether is it funding or resources), come up with reasons why the leadership team should invest in your group and not one of the score of others who are competing for that same money. One executive I interviewed advised that to get more money, you need to be able to articulate the benefit you bring and why you deserve the money to be taken from someone else. Be able to explain what return the organization will get from our investment.
Stumped about how to demonstrate a return on investment? You can start by engaging your team to look at each of your major priorities or goals and identifying the impact that achieving those goals will have on the organizations:
Sales Costs Errors Production time Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Ability to attract top talent Employee engagement Employee retention Brand recognition Stakeholder support Stockholder confidence Ability to meet regulations Ability to mitigate risks
If you find it difficult to define a return on investment, talk to current senior management advocates to find out what they perceive as the value your team brings to the company. You and your team should be diligent in your quest to find out and define the impact you have to the company in senior management terms. By keeping this a key focus in your proposals, you will find much more positive support from the folks on top.
Passion for their work is a key element to most successful team leaders and group managers. Therefore, it is usually quite obvious to you that your groups work adds value to the overall organization. The sad truth: it is often not quite so clear to the very people you need to convince to support a proposal for additional resources. While difficult for all group leaders, it is unfortunately even more true for those teams in an organization that spend more in their budget than they make.
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.
Frequently, I see team managers fail to assess, describe and explain the ways in which the teams projects positively impact the overall profitability of the organization. And yet, many have no idea why their proposals for additional funding or support are turned down again and again.
Any time you are looking for support (whether is it funding or resources), come up with reasons why the leadership team should invest in your group and not one of the score of others who are competing for that same money. One executive I interviewed advised that to get more money, you need to be able to articulate the benefit you bring and why you deserve the money to be taken from someone else. Be able to explain what return the organization will get from our investment.
Stumped about how to demonstrate a return on investment? You can start by engaging your team to look at each of your major priorities or goals and identifying the impact that achieving those goals will have on the organizations:
Sales Costs Errors Production time Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Ability to attract top talent Employee engagement Employee retention Brand recognition Stakeholder support Stockholder confidence Ability to meet regulations Ability to mitigate risks
If you find it difficult to define a return on investment, talk to current senior management advocates to find out what they perceive as the value your team brings to the company. You and your team should be diligent in your quest to find out and define the impact you have to the company in senior management terms. By keeping this a key focus in your proposals, you will find much more positive support from the folks on top.
About the Author:
Wendy Mack is a professional advisor, trainer, and author with an emphasis on leadership and communicating change. Contact Wendy at, or obtain her free e-book, Transforming Anxiety into Energy at www.WendyMack.com.
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