Getting leadership buy-in for new kinds of work can be challenging. Player dynamics design, accessibility, trust and safety — these are all important and emerging areas related to digital thriving that have received strong resistance at different times in various companies.
Fortunately, contributors to the Playbook have learned many lessons for getting buy-in that we’re happy to share!
1. Do it yourself (when you can)
If you don’t need buy-in, just do it! Digital thriving work doesn’t always need permission, so look for ways to apply methods and lessons from the Playbook to your own projects.
Tips:
- Find a digital thriving tool you can apply now.
- Start small and specific.
- Build momentum from quick wins.
Beware: Strive to get data to prove your successes. Otherwise your good work could go unrecognized.
2. Be proactive and prepared
Get ready for potential resistance. Expect that any suggestion to deviate from the status quo will receive at least some pushback from teams and leadership. Plan for how you’ll handle it.
Tips:
- Understand company goals and how digital thriving supports them.
- Anticipate possible objections and how best to respond.
- Have alternative solutions ready in case you need them.
Beware: People’s natural desire to maintain the status quo can manifest as tough questions. Here are a few to prepare for:
- “Who is doing this already?”
- “That’s not what we do here.”
- “Why is this where we should be innovating?”
- “You’re obviously very passionate about this.”
- “That sounds too academic.”
3. Create a compelling message
Use powerful expressions to help people imagine a better future with digital thriving. Short, catchy-sounding value statements can delight listeners, create excitement, and make your message more memorable. This can lead to repetition by others, which helps the value sell itself.
Tips:
- Look for words and phrases that resonate during conversations about digital thriving.
- Tailor your message to the needs and interests of your stakeholders.
- Ensure your message is supported by meaningful data.
Beware: Avoid jargon and academic-sounding terms. They can create confusion.
4. Make a strong business case
Tie digital thriving directly to your company’s strategic goals and you’ll give stakeholders a reason to invest! Show how digital thriving can help achieve current business objectives and you’ll have a much more receptive audience. Arm yourself with data that clearly makes your case.
Tips:
- Financial strategy — Provide compelling statistics for how digital thriving investment can increase retention, monetization, cost savings, etc.
- Experience strategy — Understand player pain and how digital thriving work can help address it.
- Market strategy — Demonstrate how digital thriving can give your company competitive advantage.
Beware: No matter how strong the business case, some leaders may remain uninterested or even actively resistant.
Bonus: Share your findings ahead of any stakeholder presentation. The earlier that key decision makers are aware of your proposals and putting their own mark on potential solutions, the more likely you’ll get buy-in.
5. Highlight trends and successes
Demonstrate how digital thriving work is creating value in the industry. If leaders see that other companies are succeeding with similar efforts, investment in digital thriving will seem less risky. Do your homework and provide industry-based proof.
Tips:
- Collect examples of real-world features that show the value of digital thriving.
- Reference companies who’ve spoken about their digital thriving work.
- Participate in digital thriving-related community events and share what you’ve learned.
Beware: You may not be able to find examples from direct competitors, which may give your more challenging opponents a reason to dismiss your proposals. Be prepared to show the relevancy of work from non-competitors or even other industries.
6. Find allies
Foster a network of supporters. Multiple advocates for digital thriving work are more powerful than one, so consider building a system of champions within your company. If anything, you’ll feel less lonely!
Tips:
- Seek like-minded, influential people who are willing to challenge prevailing norms.
- Identify teams that could use your help and whose work could foster digital thriving.
- Build lasting business relationships through mutual trust and respect.
Beware: Companies are dynamic environments, and coworkers come and go. Make alliance-building an ongoing process so you’ll always have a support network.
7. Make adoption easy
Reduce the amount of imagination needed to build digital thriving features. Many teams will gladly do digital thriving work, but they lack the time and resources. You can help them by doing some of their work in advance. Find ways to lessen their burden and you may get more thriving work done (and possibly make some fans in the process).
Tips:
- Provide design mockups.
- Recommend success metrics and how to collect related data.
- Use a two-pitch approach. Pair a simple, short-term proposal with a more robust version you can work toward.
Beware: Tight deadlines may prevent even the most receptive teams from taking on digital thriving work, at least in the short-term.
8. Seek a North Star (but don’t expect it)
Strive for mechanisms that align groups to digital thriving. If everyone in a company is accountable for digital thriving goals, they’re more likely to do digital thriving work. Consider ways that multiple groups can steer themselves towards a shared digital thriving mission or equivalent.
Tips:
- Champion digital thriving as a company or product goal.
- Advocate for top-level objectives and key results.
- Show existing goals align to digital thriving.
Beware: Recognize that many people will resist anything that looks like a mandate.
Now what?
For more tips check out the following:
