Pitching Your Ideas To Management

Here you are, fresh off a brainstorm that may have yielded the next business altering innovation. You are excited to start pitching your ideas to management when you remember: My manager has shot down my last few ideas. Will this next one suffer the same fate?

Getting ideas up a corporate chain of command can be daunting. But with some key tweaks to your approach and a dash of empathy, the path to implementation is closer than you think.

Your ideas matter!

Thomas and I are perpetual optimists, and we believe every organization (big/small, old/new) is constantly generating new and exciting ideas through the smart and talented people they have hired. But contrary to this high rate of generation, the probability of implementing ideas (and reaping the benefits!) is significantly lower.

Think about it. Should we really believe that no one at Kodak had the idea to switch to digital sooner? It was one of the top companies of its era and certainly had its pick of top talent. Did all of those thousands of smart employees miss the writing on the wall?! It feels quite unlikely that would be true. The same goes for Nokia, Blockbuster, and pretty much the entire traditional retail industry.

But this should be very empowering! The quality of your ideas is likely remarkably high. Therefore, it is only when you start pitching your ideas to management that the road block exists.

Why Focus on Managers?

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We know from experts like Clayton Christensen that economics is one of the strongest drivers of innovation. C-Suite execs have plenty of levers to improve how ideas are communicated throughout an organization. But they are incentivized to focus on a narrow scope to enable shorter term profitability.

This scope tends to get even narrower as you go down the management chain. Mid-level managers may not have a large enough track record to take bigger risks, and are more likely to rely on tweaking the status-quo for their future success. Although there can be other barriers to implementation, the friction caused at the mid-management level is often one of the biggest reasons for abandoned innovation.

To improve your chances of success, it is imperative understand your manager’s priorities and ambitions. Think about things like:

• What are my manager’s goals for this week/month/year?
• Does my manager complain about not having enough time for existing tasks?
• Did my manager build his/her career on the current process I want to change?
• Is my manager aiming for a promotion soon?
• Is my manager dealing with office politics in and around our team?

Asking these questions will put you in your manager’s shoe, and in a better position to pitch an idea they will be motivated to push forward.

Tips for Getting Your Ideas Through Mid-Management

#1. Align to existing goals

The best way to push forward your idea is to align to your manager’s priorities. Ideas that will push his/her agenda or give capacity back to them will certainly catch their attention. This shouldn’t narrow the scope of your ideas, however. Be thoughtful in linking your current improvement idea to how it may support an existing goal.

#2. Create a partnership with your manager

Remember that your manager is already heavily invested in the current process. Propose changes respectfully and exude an understanding of past efforts. Make sure to offer to drive the idea forward together, using “we” and “us”.

#3. Clearly state the problem and the potential impact

Don’t just jump in with the solution. Start with what issue you are solving for and how big of an issue it has been for your team. How much time is it wasting? Have clients complained about it? Get your manager to first care, before you start solving.

#4. Pitch alternate solutions

Give some implementation options. If your only proposal is to “automate everything,” this will feel far-fetched and less worthy of your manager’s immediate time. A timeline or phase approach gives a sense of the overall opportunity in addition to small things you can do now (with little effort).

#5. Start implementing BEFORE you pitch

If you can test a few elements of your idea, make sure to do that before raising to your manager. Test it out on other co-workers. Experiment on a few small changes to see if it makes a difference. Coming into a pitch with preliminary success can eliminate any nasty doubts right from the start.

#6. Use data

Be factual. Every part of your pitch should use data, from stating the problem to showing early successes. Manually gather this data if nothing else is available (ie count daily emails from clients). Numbers are king, regardless of how they are sourced.

#7. Be a thought leader – Create a community!

Finally, don’t go on this alone! Ideas are more powerful if supported by a group of people. Take on some leadership and gather these people in an innovation-based community. Learn from each other and incorporate diversity of thought. This will also help shield you away from some of the status quo that can create friction to experimentation. A high performing community with a track record of good ideas will naturally bubble up the corporate ladder.

Final Thoughts

Pitching your ideas to management cause some of the more common barriers to implementation, but many other nuances can make or break your own efforts (especially during a pandemic). For a more macro level view, check out this HBR article on how to Get the Boss to Buy In.

Ultimately, having an idea only helps open the door. Preparation and empathy will get you through it.